The Christmas Catastrophe
by BlueTiger321
Summary: An evil spell is unleashed during the holiday season, and a group of friends must put a stop to it before the magic spreads and threatens their world.
1. Prologue: The Secret

Prologue: The Secret

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone! I'm back with another story. As with my previous one, I've decided to get into the holiday spirit and write one related to Christmas. And for the record, I am Catholic so yes, I do celebrate Christmas in case any of you were wondering (not that you would care). Well anyway, the story is of my own creation but all the characters used are property of their respectful owners. And I know that some of my other stories do seem a bit rushed but I promise I will try to take my time with this one, but my goal is to get it done before the holiday season. So I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

It was the night before Christmas Eve in the fabled Toon City. All the famous cartoon, anime and video game characters were headed home to rest for another glorious day awaited them in the morning. Everywhere the streets were decorated with holiday streamers and the shops were filled with gifts wrapped up in boxes for display. Snow began to lightly fall from the sky and land on the snow already on the ground.

The lights in every building had been shut off while the street lamps were activated, casting lights through the darkness along with the silvery glow from the moon to aid the citizens on their way home. It was truly a sight to behold during the holidays.

But even though everyone was filled with Christmas joy, there was still a dark secret taking place in the streets. A man ran through an alleyway and had just entered the streets to find them deserted. A bag carrying a square object lay slung over his back, its weight pressing lightly against his body. He stopped momentarily by a street lamp to catch his breath both from running and carrying his mysterious package.

The light revealed he was a human dressed in a long black jacket with blue jeans and black boots. His blonde hair was cut short and his hazel eyes darted around to make sure he was alone. A blonde goatee also covered his chin to match his hair, giving him a much older appearance. His hands were covered with black gloves as they held the straps connected to the bag. As soon as air filled his lungs, he resumed his sprinting through the city.

As he ran, his thoughts ran wildly about what he was about to do. This would ultimately decide the fate of not only everyone in Toon City but perhaps every human being in the world. If he didn't act quickly then the consequences would be dire.

The man had eventually come to a bridge stretched across a mighty river. He stopped just after coming to the middle of the bridge under another street lamp. Looking around once more, he sighed in relief to find that no one was around to witness what he was about to do. The bag he carried was now set atop the stone ledge. Being extra cautious, he slowly reached into the bag and brought out what was inside. There in the man's hands was a brown box with a lock placed in the centre. The gold-plated metal around the lock and corners sparkled brightly in the light to make it feel like something precious. But the man knew that what was inside the box contained something terrible.

"This is it," he said. "I'm doing something I know is right. If not by some twist of fate, I never would've stumbled upon this and it might've been unleashed. What I've witnessed is something I would not wish on my worst enemy." A slight smirk came to his face for his reluctance in finding the object. "In a way, I'm lucky to have found it; because I can make sure it doesn't spread its insidious power. I wish there was some way I could've helped the girl who has fallen victim... But I can't put other people's lives at risk. I hope this damned thing will never fall into anyone's hands!"

With that, the man threw the box over the bridge and watched it fall into the river. He was glad the conditions weren't cold enough to cause the water to become frozen. The box plummeted and hit the water, making a big splash. As the man watched the box sink into the river, a smile crossed his face while he hoped it would remain out of anyone's reach for eternity. With his business concluded, he walked off the bridge with pride filling his heart.

The box was tossed around underwater as the current dragged it farther down the river. It wasn't long before the box smashed into the side of a rock that broke the lock over it. The force from the blow had also caused the box to re-surface over the water where it drifted until it settled into a large snow bank.

Not far away from the snow bank, an old woman named Agnes Skinner (_The Simpsons_) walked peacefully by herself down the street. She took in the sights with every step, hoping to get home as quickly as she could. Then she noticed something gleaming out of the corner of her eye. She paused to look around and see something by the river.

What Agnes saw was the metal of the box shining brightly in the moonlight as it stuck out from the snow bank. Feeling curious, the old woman stepped down to the river to find out what it was. Agnes reached the snow bank and knelt down to bring up the box. She placed her hands over the lid and carefully opened it.

Inside the box made Agnes gasp in wonder. Sitting in the box's frame was a snow globe with a silver base at the bottom. Inside the globe was a miniature city that looked almost identical to Toon City with a large Christmas tree in the middle. At the top of the tree was a golden star that seemed to shine with pure radiance. What Agnes seemed to overlook was at the base of the globe was a carved symbol of a cross with the top of a heart flipped upside-down at the bottom.

Agnes contemplated on her discovery. Narrowing her eyes she said, "Maybe you'll fetch a hefty price."

The old woman closed the box and took it with her on her way home. What she didn't realise was the snow globe's true purpose and why it was meant to never be found.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well folks, there's the first part of my story. And for those of you wondering, you'll probably recognise that symbol on the snow globe and I'll explain about it in a later chapter. For now, I hope you liked it so please be sure to read and review!


	2. Chapter 1: The Gift

Chapter 1: The Gift

BlueTiger321: Okay! Since the prologue is done, it's time to introduce the protagonists. Those of you who have read my other stories will obviously recognise who I've chosen by now. So I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

It was now the day of Christmas Eve. Like any other day of the holiday season, the streets and shops were packed with people to do shopping but now everyone was in a rush more so than usual. The next day would officially be Christmas so everyone would have to complete their shopping fast if they wanted to start the holiday in time.

Everywhere there would always be one citizen trying to beat the others to the best sale, only to have been thwarted by someone who arrived earlier. It would soon lead to an absolute race to get gifts that may lead into an all-out riot.

One group of toons was downtown at the famous CN Square both to do their last-minute shopping and to keep the peace. None of them wore jackets despite the cold weather for their uniforms kept their body temperatures at a steady level. The insignia of a bird fashioned out of metal was on each of their backs. Everyone in Toon City knew this group to be the Sky Knight squadron called the Storm Hawks.

Their leader and Sky Knight was a fourteen-year-old boy with unruly red hair that complimented his emerald green eyes. His suit was made up of a red and blue patched shirt with blue pants while his hands were covered with brown gloves with black fingers, and his brown boots clacked against the pavement with each step he took. Armour plates covered his body in various places with his left shoulder pad having the Storm Hawks symbol painted blue over it, and a pair of daggers were kept at his back for quick access should the need arise. The boy went by the name Aerrow.

Joined to his right was the Storm Hawks' navigator and crystal mage, which was a fourteen-year-old girl named Piper. Her chocolate brown skin made her amber-coloured eyes stand out along with her bluish-black hair held back by a yellow hair band. She was clothed in a blue and yellow dress with brown boots, and long blue gloves that only covered her palms and middle and ring fingers rested on her hands. A blue choker with a light blue crystal dangling from the centre was kept around her neck to compliment her attire.

Aerrow really never noticed it before but he thought Piper looked especially fabulous. The only thing that struck him as odd was why he suddenly developed these feelings for his friend.

"So guys," said Aerrow. "Where should we go first?"

"I can't decide," replied Piper. "There're so many shops around here and there's so little time left."

The Storm Hawks' marksman stepped in to add his own thoughts. He, like Aerrow, was fourteen years old but had spiky blonde hair along with blue eyes that matched the details on his blue and yellow suit along with his blue fingerless gloves while various armour plates also covered random spots on his body. This Storm Hawk was named Finn.

"Why don't we just hit every shop we see?" said Finn.

"That's not the point, Finn," explained Aerrow. "We need to find someplace with good gift options."

The only adult of the group, which was the carrier pilot, didn't seem to be enjoying the stroll through downtown. He was a green-skinned humanoid called a Merb and he shivered with every step since Merbs were known to be cold-blooded. He held his four-fingered hands against his arms for warmth while he walked with his bare three-toed feet. Like the other Storm Hawks, he was also clothed in a uniform but his was coloured brown with a blue waist and an X-shaped armour plate over his chest. His black hair fell down to the right side of his face to reveal his black eyes set against yellow irises and two silver earrings adorning his left pointed ear. The Merb was known as Stork.

"I don't see why you had to drag me all the way downtown at this time of year," said Stork. "I was perfectly fine sitting in the _Condor_, where it's nice and warm, while reading my latest edition of How to Avoid the Perilous Dangers of Toon City."

The fifth member of the Storm Hawks walked behind Stork. Due to his massive physique as a rhinoceros-humanoid called a Wallop, he was undoubtedly the strongman. The fourteen-year-old was clothed in a green suit with blue and brown patches along with various armour plates like the other boys, and his hooved feet were bare like Stork. His name was Junko.

Raising his big, four-fingered hand, Junko rested it on Stork's shoulders and nearly gave the Merb a panic attack. "C'mon Stork," he said. "This is the time of year where you're supposed to be with your friends and family."

"Well," said Stork, "then if you're my friends and/or family, then you would understand how much I _don't_ want to be here."

As Aerrow walked, the last member of the Storm Hawks, which was a blue-furred hybrid between a monkey and a weasel having a bushy tail and long ears, jumped onto the boy's shoulders. The furry co-pilot, like his friends, wore a suit that was coloured blue and purple. His brown eyes set against yellow irises shifted around while he moved along with the Sky Knight, and his purple skin was only visible on his paws. He went by the name Radarr.

Laughing, Aerrow said, "Well then, let's wrap things up before things get too hectic."

Just as the boy finished speaking, Radarr looked up and chirped with amazement. All the other Storm Hawks looked up and saw a giant Christmas tree with an assortment of decorations and lights covering its pine needles as well as a golden star at the top. It towered over nearly everything within its radius and spread good feelings around everyone who walked by it.

While viewing the tree's magnificence, it became clear to the Storm Hawks that they had entered the heart of CN Square. The entire space was being used to hold a flea market. Shops were set up around every inch with customers already doing their shopping. A giant digital clock stood high near the top of a building with the current time being two o'clock.

The Storm Hawks couldn't believe how many people had already reached CN Square as they all dropped their jaws in disbelief.

"Dude," said Finn, "I think it reached hectic before we even got here."

"Now how are we supposed to get through that crowd?" said Piper.

Shrugging his shoulders, Stork smiled and said, "Oh well. Looks like we won't be able to do our shopping here... I guess now we should get back to the _Condor_ where it's nice and safe and warm."

Aerrow put his arm out in front of Stork to prevent him from going any farther, which made the Merb frown. "Hold on," said the Sky Knight. "Are you forgetting that we're supposed to meet our other friends here and help them with their shopping as well? We can't just desert them like this."

Piper hadn't forgotten, so she narrowed her eyes and scanned through the bustling market. Everyone moving around made it difficult to find who she was looking for but she eventually spotted the group of people. A light smile crossed her face and she would have to let the others know.

"There they are!" she said and pointed out to where she was looking.

The boys complied with her and stared in her direction. Their eyes soon lit up when they saw the people they were supposed to find. Seven different people were walking together while trying to both get away from the busy crowd and to find the right shop. They were comprised of four boys and three girls.

Aerrow smiled and said, "Well then let's get down there."

The Storm Hawks all walked down into the square, but Stork momentarily stayed behind and sighed in frustration. All he ever wanted to do was to head back to the place where he felt most comfortable, especially on a day such as this one. But with reluctance, he walked with his friends to meet with the others.

Through the crowd the Sky Knight squadron moved, trying not to disturb as many people as they could while trying to get to their friends before it was too late. As they walked they saw the different shops and what was for sale. Toys were lined up on tables in one area while jewellery was set up in another place. The smells of freshly baked breads and pastries also filled the air, giving everyone who walked past them a warm feeling. Junko took one sniff of the pleasant aromas and felt his mouth water. He would definitely have to remember to come back to that shop once he and his friends were together.

Aerrow and the others had eventually come into a clearing just under the large Christmas tree, and his face showed content when he saw the others were standing there. The first boy he saw was fourteen years old and clothed in a brown jacket along with blue jeans and red and white tennis shoes. His spiky black hair was just as disorderly as Aerrow's but his blue eyes made him seem tame. This boy's name was Danny Fenton.

A girl had her arms wrapped around Danny's left arm while she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was an eleven-year-old Asian girl clothed in a green jacket with blue jeans and brown shoes. Her black hair reached down to her back with the most notable feature being one strand on the left side dyed a deep pink. Brown eyes and freckles around her nose made her look cute but her friends knew her to still have a rough side, and a brown wristband on her right wrist had a purple gem in the centre. Her name was Juniper Lee, but her friends called her June.

The others all looked to be from the same region due to their style of clothing. A twelve-year-old boy was the most notable one due to his bald head and blue arrows tattooed to his forearms and scalp. A yellow and orange robe covered his body while black boots were on his feet, and a long staff was clutched in his hands. This boy was known as Aang, the Avatar.

The boy and girl standing next to the Avatar looked especially similar, as though they were related to each other. The fifteen-year-old boy had lightly-tanned skin, blue eyes and short brown hair tied to a ponytail while the fourteen-year-old girl also had the same skin tone with blue eyes and long brown hair that flowed freely down her back. Both were clothed in blue jackets, pants and gloves, and brown boots adorned their feet. The boy's name was Sokka and the girl's name was Katara, and they were brother and sister.

The smallest girl was blind due to her pale blue eyes. The twelve-year-old had her black hair tied into a large bun and she wore a green jacket with matching pants. It appeared that green boots covered her feet for warmth, but what some didn't know was the soles had been removed to allow her bare feet feel the earth. The girl's name was Toph.

The last boy was sixteen years old with messy black hair and yellow eyes. A burn scar that went from his left eye to his ear made him appear like some kind of monster, but everyone knew him to be gentle. A red jacket and pants covered his body while black boots were fitted on his feet. His name was Zuko.

The Storm Hawks made their way to the group and all happily got the others' attention. Everyone erupted in smiles as they all came together.

"...Yay! You all made it!" said June.

"You bet we did," said Aerrow. "Why wouldn't we be here for our friends?"

Sokka, on the other hand, looked rather displeased with his friends' arrival. "What took you so long?" he wondered. "We've been wandering around here for hours looking for you."

"Sorry," said Piper. "We kinda got held up by other things."

"No kidding," added Finn. "It would've been faster to use our Skimmers to fly here, but this place _is_ a no-fly zone."

"That doesn't matter now," said Katara. "We're all here, so let's do our shopping."

Stork was still shivering, and through chattering teeth he said, "Can someone tell me why we came to shop outside in the bitter cold when we could be shopping in a mall like normal toons?"

"Hey, what's wrong with the flea market?" Aang retorted. "You never know what you're gonna find here."

"Oh, I know what I'm gonna find here: a cold that'll bug me for about two weeks!"

Toph chuckled to herself, having fun at Stork's misery. "Well we better get started before the big baby keeps whining," she said.

All the others laughed at Toph's joke while Stork growled in anger. He didn't see anything funny about freezing to death.

When Zuko was finished laughing he said, "Why don't we break off into groups? That way we can find what we want a lot sooner."

"Good idea," said Aerrow. "We'll meet back here when we're done."

Danny then broke away from his girlfriend and leaned in close to Aerrow. When he was sure no one was paying attention he whispered, "Uh Aerrow, can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure," replied Aerrow. The boy turned to Radarr on his shoulders and kindly gestured him to step off so the two boys could talk. The furry guy chirped in response and complied with the red-haired teen.

Danny led Aerrow to a secluded spot behind the Christmas tree. Once they were alone they faced each other.

"So what's up Danny?" asked Aerrow.

"Well, uh..." said Danny, trying to find the right words. "I need your help in deciding the right gift for June."

Aerrow gave an odd look to Danny in response. "Why me?" he said.

"Because I'm in a real jam here... I've kept putting off the shopping 'til now and I still don't have a present for June!"

Aerrow put a hand on Danny's shoulder for support. "Calm down Danny," he said. "Everything's gonna be okay. There's still plenty of time for you to find a gift."

"That's the problem," said Danny. "I don't know what I should get for her!"

"I'm sure you'll find something. Besides, I don't think the actual gift is important. The idea of giving a gift to June shows that you care about her."

Danny stood still for a moment and contemplated Aerrow's suggestion. He then got the idea that his friend was speaking the truth. As long as he showed affection to his girlfriend, it wouldn't matter what he got for her.

"You're right," said Danny. "But would you mind if I came with you, because I don't want June to see her gift yet."

"No problem," said Aerrow.

The two friends walked back to the others to begin their shopping, now that a solution had been found to a problem.

* * *

An hour had passed since the friends had gone shopping. By that time he crowd was starting to thin out but it was still a busy place, and most of the shops in the flea market had closed.

Danny was walking with Aerrow, Radarr, Finn and Zuko. The halfa could see his friends carrying bags filled with everything they bought. He sighed as he had nothing in his hands. Despair washed over him as he had no luck in finding a present for June.

"Cheer up, Danny," said Aerrow. "You can still find something for her."

"Oh yeah," said Finn. "Maybe that guy selling those impossible Chinese finger traps has something good."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the comment and said, "You're just upset because you couldn't figure it out on your own."

"Hey! I would've figured it out if _you_ didn't step in and tell me!"

Danny merely let out a long sigh. "Thanks you guys," he said, "but I don't think there's anything at this point that'll save me."

Radarr chirped sadly at what his friend had said. Just then, he noticed something off in the distance. The little guy focused his eyes and saw one store that was still open. The owners were an old woman along with a middle-aged man who looked rather unhappy. A chirp escaped Radarr's mouth that got Danny's attention. He pointed at where he was looking and made everyone else look at what he saw.

"Hey, I don't think you've been to that store," said Aerrow.

"Yeah," agreed Zuko. "Why don't you go see what they have?"

Danny felt desperate at this point. Without giving it a second thought he ran off and said, "All right! Wait for me here!"

The halfa ran off to the store and stopped when he saw the two owners arguing with each other.

The old woman named Agnes turned to the man and said, "We haven't sold one thing all day! We wouldn't have gotten such a lousy spot if you had found a better one, Seymour!"

The man turned to the woman and said, "Mother, if you had let _me_ talk to the customers then we would have sold something instead of having you insult them and drive them away!"

"Don't tell me how to do business!" shouted Agnes. "Now go get the car ready!"

Seymour only looked down at the ground in shame. "Yes, Mother," he said, and walked away.

Danny was rather hesitant about approaching this woman, but he was running out of time. He walked forward and got up to the table.

Agnes looked at the boy and smiled, hoping to make a sale. "Hello there, sonny," she said. "Is there anything you would like to buy?"

Danny looked around the table. There was an assortment of objects placed around it: miniature flags, golf clubs, glasses, dishes and cutlery. The boy thought none of these were perfect as gifts, which made him looked irritated. Then his eyes spotted something different. Sitting on the table was a snow globe with a silver base. Inside he could see a small city looking very much like Toon City, and in the middle was a Christmas tree with a shimmering star on top. A symbol was carved into the base that looked like a cross with the top of a heart turned upside-down at the bottom.

Danny smiled as he thought he had found the perfect gift for June. "How much for the snow globe?" he asked.

"Oh, you've got your eye on that," said Agnes. Narrowing her eyes, she said in a flat tone, "A hundred bucks."

"What?" Danny exclaimed. "That's highway robbery!"

"That's my only offer, kid!" said Agnes. "Take it or leave it!"

Danny growled angrily and fished out his wallet. He thought that price was too steep but he also thought nothing should keep him from making June happy. Upon getting out his wallet, he handed over a stack of bills and was glad he had the right amount.

"Here!" Danny said disapprovingly.

Agnes handed over the snow globe and said, "Merry Christmas."

Danny walked away with his purchase, thinking the old woman was crazy. But he was relieved that he finally found a present for his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, the others waited patiently for Danny until he returned. They were all anxious to find out what he bought.

"Well, what'd you get?" asked Aerrow.

Danny held out the snow globe for all to see. Aerrow, Radarr and Zuko smiled at its splendour, but Finn looked at it indifferently.

"That's it?" he said. "You got a snow globe?"

"What's wrong with it?" Danny protested. "I think it looks nice."

"It does," agreed Aerrow. "I'm sure June will like it."

Zuko cut in and said, "Well we better get back to the others. It'll be dark soon."

The group walked back to the tree, hoping their other friends were already there. As they walked, Danny looked at the snow globe meant for his girlfriend. He didn't know why but he felt compelled to keep looking at it. His eyes gazed upon the city inside, and the star twinkled in the light. It was like it was hypnotic to Danny as his eyes were open like he was in a deep trance.

Aerrow's group was almost at the tree while Danny was still focused on the snow globe. He was so fixated on it that he didn't see a patch of ice coming up in front of him. Danny's foot made contact with the ice and caused him to slip. A shout came from his lips as he nearly lost his footing. While trying to keep himself steady, the snow globe slipped out of his grip and fell to the ground where the glass shattered to pieces and let the water inside spill out.

The others saw what happened and gasped in surprise while Danny was stunned. The one gift he could find for his girlfriend was now ruined.

"Oh no!" said Danny. "I can't believe it! The one thing I thought June would like and I broke it!"

"Whoa... Sucks to be you, dude," said Finn.

"What am I gonna do?" Danny said desperately.

"Is something wrong?" said a female voice.

Danny went motionless as he recognised it as June's voice. She and the others had made it back to the spot with all their purchases. Thinking fast, Danny stood up in front of the broken snow globe and hoped to keep it a secret.

"No, no! Nothing's wrong!" Danny said.

"That's weird," said June. "I could've sworn I heard you say something."

"Oh, it's no big deal. I was just kidding around with these guys."

Aerrow, Finn, Zuko and Radarr decided to play along with the charade in hopes of sparing their friend the embarrassment. They smiled and nodded along with Danny's statement.

What no one realised was that something else was coming out of the snow globe. Snowflakes began to dance around from within it that slowly formed up while everyone was still conversing.

"Since we're done, can we _please_ get out of here now?" said Stork.

Junko was about to say something when he noticed that snow was beginning to fall from the sky. "Hey look!" he said and pointed upward.

Everyone looked to find the snow was coming down on them. The icy cold droplets touched everyone's skin and melted on contact. But then something strange happened. The snow began to swirl around everyone and everything at an alarming rate. It eventually turned into a tornado that kept everyone from going anywhere.

"Uh guys," said Piper, "I don't think snow should be doing this."

"I think you've got a point!" said Aerrow, sharing his friend's cause for alarm.

The snow was now spinning faster and grew until it covered the entire CN Square. Everyone screamed as they were now getting covered in the snow. All they could do was wait for what would happen next.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Oh no! Just what was in the snow globe?

Danny: Great! I spent a hundred bucks on some cursed piece of garbage!

June: Hey! That was supposed to be my present!

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned for the next chapter. So until next time...

Danny and June: Read and review!


	3. Chapter 2: Chaos

Chapter 2: Chaos

BlueTiger321: Well, it looks like the snow globe has unleashed something on Toon City. Is it something that brings holiday cheer or something that leads to disaster? Read and find out for yourselves.

* * *

The snow had finally subsided after the unexpected storm. Everyone was gathered together and shielded themselves with their arms to prevent their vision from getting hazy. Each of them slowly moved their arms back down when they could no longer feel the sting of snow battering against their faces.

To make sure they made the right move, Aerrow opened an eyelid to check for anything bad that occurred. His eye moved around and saw that everything was as it should be in CN Square. The other citizens around the Square were just as confused about the snow blowing in so suddenly, and not a single thing seemed to be out of place.

Aerrow opened his other eye to check on his friends. Seeing they were all expecting something else to happen, he happily said, "It's clear."

The others opened their eyes and saw that Aerrow was right. The snow had settled and CN Square once again returned to its peaceful appearance. But everyone still had a look of wonder in their eyes as to what had caused the snow to blow so erratically.

"Just what the heck was that all about?" June wondered.

Toph turned her attention to Aang, having a look of suspicion forming on her face. "I think I have a good idea," she said. "Maybe it was the work of a certain _Avatar_ using his waterbending to play a joke on us!"

Aang was frozen in place by Toph's accusation. With a worried look he said, "No! It wasn't me! I swear!"

Toph wasn't convinced by her friend's testimony. "Give it up, Twinkle Toes!" she said, acting like a cop in a film noir. "Who else could've moved around the snow like that?"

"Hold on," said Katara. She quickly got to Aang's side to aid him. "I could feel the snow moving around, and I don't think it was the work of waterbending. It felt like something else was controlling it. Something unusual..."

"Yeah, like that makes a lot of sense," said Finn.

"In any case," said Piper, "the weird snowstorm is over so maybe we should all head home and prepare for tomorrow."

All the others nodded with agreement, especially Stork who was still not fond of the cold while he continued to shiver. Danny, meanwhile, knelt back down to look at the broken snow globe. He gathered up the broken glass and looked distraught over his failure. Now, he thought, his only hope of giving a gift to June was for nothing.

Danny stood back up while holding the snow globe's base and saw the miniature city was still inside. Aerrow was quickly at his side along with Radarr to try and console the poor boy.

"I'm sorry this had to happen, Danny," said the Sky Knight.

"It's my own fault," said his friend. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and I should've been more careful."

Aerrow thought long about what he should say next, and it soon came to mind. "Listen," he said. "This isn't the end of the world. So you don't have a present for her. But you're always there for June when she needs you the most, and that would top any gift."

"I know that, but I just feel like-" Danny cut off what he was about to say when he looked to the sky and opened his eyes wide.

Aerrow and Radarr both exchanged odd looks as to what made Danny pause in mid-sentence. "What's wrong?" asked the red-haired teen.

Danny pointed to where he was looking and said, "Wasn't there a star at the top of that tree?"

The Sky Knight and his co-pilot turned around and looked upward, and there they saw the Christmas tree was indeed missing its star. Aerrow opened his eyes wide too, and wondered what had made it disappear. He thought it probably got blown off from the snowstorm.

"You're right," replied Aerrow.

At that moment, everyone stood still when they heard a noise. They all shifted their eyes around to see from where it was coming. To them, it sounded like the giggling of a little girl. The laughter was now getting louder, which meant that whoever was doing it was coming their way.

"Okay, whoever's doing that should stop 'cause it's starting to get creepy!" cried Sokka.

The ruffling of snow was then heard and everyone turned around as they pinpointed its source. There they saw the one who was emitting the laughter. Standing in the snow was a girl dressed in a long white jacket with a white gown sticking out at the bottom as well as white boots. Her blonde hair was mid-length with the majority of it falling down to her right side, and her blue eyes shined like clear water on a summer day. The girl laughed upon meeting the group like she was enjoying herself.

Aerrow got up front to meet the mysterious girl. "Uh, hi," he said. "Can we help you?"

The girl stopped her giggling and turned to face the Sky Knight. "Yes," she said. "You can help by enjoying my perfect Christmas."

Stork leaned close to Aerrow and whispered, "_Her_ perfect Christmas? Has she suffered a recent blow to the head?"

The girl then extended her arms while she closed her eyes. She concentrated on giving something to the group she just met what she meant by a perfect Christmas. In an instant, everyone watched as the snow around them began to take shape. A look of disbelief was frozen on everyone's face as they saw the snow being manipulated in such a way. The snow formed together into large balls stacked on top of each other. It was then added by coal and carrots forming at the top. When it was done, everyone saw a group of snowmen before them. The coal was used for the eyes and mouths formed into a smile and the carrots were used for their noses.

Junko was the first to comment on the display. His eyes were now as big as saucers as he thought the snowmen were adorable. "Aw! They look so cute!" he said.

"Uh, Junko," said Piper. "Don't you think it's a bit strange that snow was formed into snowmen by itself?"

The Wallop walked up to the snowmen to get a closer look. "Well maybe this girl _wants_ us to enjoy ourselves," he said. "Besides, it's not like they can hurt us."

The first snowmen then blinked at Junko, making him step back in surprise. It then changed its face into a scowl and then shook its body with intensity. Two arms made of snow popped out from the side of its body and compacted to look like they were muscular. Soon the snowman's body was the same as its arms. Junko was so scared by this that he tried to back away but the snowman grabbed his body and lifted him into the air. The Wallop tried to squirm free but the snowman twisted him in its palm before throwing him over everyone's heads.

Junko soared through the air and screamed before he hit the ground. Everyone cringed as they saw their friend hit the pavement and made a huge crack. After the fall, Junko stood up with a dazed look on his face and saw tiny snowmen spinning around his head.

"Okay, so maybe they can," said Junko.

Everyone then saw the rest of the snowmen get muscular like the first one. Anger was now on their faces as they marched towards the group. Fear was now filling up inside Aerrow and his friends while they backed away. Meanwhile, the girl was laughing at the whole display as though she was completely unaware of what was happening.

"What kind of freaky snowmen are they?" Finn said worriedly.

"The kind that we have to take down!" shouted Aerrow.

The Sky Knight dropped the bags he was carrying, reached behind his back and pulled out his daggers. The blades were ignited and pulsed with blue energy. The other Storm Hawks also drew their weapons: Piper extended her staff, Finn got out his crossbow, and Junko ignited his Knuckle Busters after recovering. Radarr jumped out front and growled while baring his teeth.

Aang and the others got ready by forming into the stances relevant to their bending style. Sokka, meanwhile, unsheathed his sword and held it out with ferocity in his eyes.

Danny was next and he raised his arms while two white rings formed from his abdomen. They went up and down his body and began to change his appearance. He was now clothed in a black suit with white gloves and boots, a white collar around his neck and a white belt. His hair changed a ghostly white while his eyes began to glow green. A white D was emblazoned on his chest to symbolize his alter ego. Danny Fenton had now become Danny Phantom. June jumped next to Danny and got into a fighting stance.

The girl laughed while the snowmen marched forward. Aerrow was already taking action by running and slashing his way through the snowmen with his blades. The energy bisected each snowman he attacked, making them fall to pieces on the pavement. Piper was up next, and using her staff she spun it around to knock away each snowman's head. Finn aimed his crossbow and fired a bolt at each snowman's head, making them explode on contact. Junko charged as he was about to get his revenge for what the snowmen did earlier. Grunting as he ran with his fists charged with green energy, he slammed into the snowmen in his path until they were nothing but pieces on the ground.

Radarr was using his wits on the snowmen. He ran frantically away from one just as the snowman was about to slam it with its fists but then quickly ran into another snowman. The little guy smirked as he had the two snowmen where he wanted them. In an instant, Radarr dove out of the way just as the snowman advanced on him. The two snowmen collided with each other and collapsed in a big pile, leaving Radarr laughing at them.

Aang extended his staff and swung it to his side to create a gust of air. The wind sliced through the snowmen and made the top halves fall to the ground. Katara smirked as she knew she would have the advantage. Extending her hands, she turned the snowmen facing her back into water and melded them together. At that point the water was formed into a large block of ice by the waterbender's command. Sokka slashed away furiously with his sword to cut down the snowmen attacking him while Toph stomped her foot to bring up two slabs of earth that collided with each other and flattened the snowmen trapped between them. Zuko jumped into the air and unleashed a rain of fireballs from his fists that melted the snowmen into a huge puddle.

Danny used his ghost powers to fly through a group of snowmen. When he was close enough, he raised his palms as they glowed with green light. The snowmen raised their arms as they were getting ready to attack, but Danny stopped in mid-air before the snowmen and shot out his hands. A scream escaped his lips as the light formed into a beam and struck the snowmen in his path, making them collapse on the ground.

Finally, June used her superior strength and agility as the Te Xuan Ze to knock away each snowman with a flurry of punches and kicks. Each time she grunted as her fists assaulted her foes, but eventually the snow lay at her feet after she was finally given respite.

Everyone soon breathed heavily when all the snowmen were defeated. They turned to see if the girl was still standing in that same spot. To everyone's surprise, there she was with a saddened face. A tear rolled down her cheek as she surveyed what happened. In her own mind, she thought these people were being cruel.

"What's her deal, anyway?" Zuko wondered.

"Yeah," said Danny. "First she sends a bunch of juiced-up snowmen after us, and now she looks at us like _we're_ the bad guys."

"Maybe we should get to the bottom of this," said Aerrow.

The Sky Knight walked over to the girl just as she looked at him with fear in her eyes. Wiping away a tear she said, "Why would you do something like that?"

Aerrow was left speechless by what the girl said. Somehow he got the feeling she had no idea what she did to them. "What are you talking about?" said the boy.

"All I ever wanted was to spread joy to others!" cried the girl. "Why can't you understand that?" The girl once again closed her eyes and extended her arms to concentrate on her next desire.

"Here we go again," said Stork.

Suddenly, the snowmen had reformed and faced the group once again. But the girl wasn't finished yet. Every toy around the flea market then grew exponentially until they were the size of humans. All the citizens watching this were left stunned but then screamed in fright as the toys came to life and started randomly attacking them. Eventually, every Christmas-related object around CN Square came to life and began to attack the innocent people of Toon City.

The group watched with dismay to see this unbelievable act taking place. This mysterious girl was somehow bringing everything to life and not knowing of the consequences.

Junko looked to his left and saw broken-heartedly the bakery he saw earlier with all the pastries flying around and attacking people.

"Oh no!" the Wallop whined. "I never got to try anything from that place!"

Just then, a cinnamon bun flew to Junko's direction. Without thinking he screamed just as the bun flew directly into his mouth. Junko chewed on the bun, letting the rich flavours flow between his mouth before swallowing it and smiling at how delicious it was.

All the others stood still while every living object made their way to them. It grew into a massive army that none of them thought they could defeat in their current state.

"There's too many of them!" said June.

"So what do we do?" cried Toph.

An idea then came to Piper. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out two crystals: one red and one green. Her gaze met Aerrow's and saw he was thinking the same thing.

"Looks like we've got no choice but to run," said the Sky Knight.

"Let's do it," said Piper. Her hands each held one of the crystals as she formed them together and extended them to Aerrow. "Storm's Fury!" she shouted.

A yellow beam shot from Piper's hands that sped towards Aerrow. The beam struck the boy's body and made him glow with a yellow aura. Everyone stood back as Aerrow stepped towards his foes where he spread out his arms and unleashed a yellow shockwave. The blast had knocked away the living toys and snowmen, giving everyone a clear path to run.

The energy then faded from Aerrow's body. He turned to his friends and shouted, "Now let's move!"

Everyone nodded their heads and ran out of CN Square as quickly as they could, leaving the girl still hurt over what they did.

Not far from CN Square, a human was driving a blue car down the street. After what he accomplished the previous night, he thought he did everyone both in Toon City and the world of humans a favour. While blissfully waiting for the red light to change he turned his head to the right. What he saw made him open his eyes wide in shock.

There in the middle of CN Square were living toys grown to gigantic sizes terrorizing every citizen unfortunate enough to be there. The girl was also there with her face appearing heartbroken after she saw a group of other toons running away from her.

The man shook his head in disbelief after seeing this. He thought it was impossible after what he did, yet he couldn't deny the proof staring at him in the face.

"No! This can't be!" he said.

His eyes were now focused on the toons running away from the Square. The man now knew that the only hope was to convince them to try and find a way of ending this nightmare by other means. With a look of determination, he stepped on the accelerator and turned the corner as the traffic light changed to green. The car sped through the intersection and headed towards CN Square.

Aerrow and the others were still trying to get away but then stopped when they saw a blue car screech to a halt before them. The driver's side window was rolled down and the human driving stuck out his head to get their attention.

"Follow me!" said the man.

Everyone was left confused by what the man said. "Who are you?" asked Aerrow.

"Please!" the man begged. "There's not a lot of time to explain! You have to trust me!"

After giving it some thought, Aerrow nodded to the others to give them the sign they should go with the man even though they knew nothing about him. Running to the right, Aerrow and the other Storm Hawks mounted their Skimmers parked on the side of the street. They revved their crystal-powered engines and waited for the others to begin their methods of travel.

Danny grabbed onto June's hand and the boy used his power to make them both levitate in the air until they were high off the ground. Aang, meanwhile, reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle in the shape of a bison. Taking in a deep breath, he blew into the whistle and released a high-pitched noise. A moment later, everyone on the ground looked to see a giant shadow forming over them. They all stood back when they saw a giant six-legged beast covered in white fur land on the road. A saddle was situated on its back while reins were tied to its horns. Brown fur in the shape of an arrow also covered its massive head much like the arrows on Aang's skin. In the saddle was another animal that looked like a lemur with its brown and white fur, large ears and green eyes.

Aang's friends got up on the saddle while the boy sat on the beast's giant neck. "Appa, yip yip!" said the Avatar.

The flying bison took to the skies along with Danny and June. When everyone was set, the man sped through the streets and everyone soon followed. None of them knew what was in store for them but they had the feeling the human they just met knew something about it.

Back in CN Square, the girl continued to weep as she was by herself. Suddenly, black smoke appeared from behind her. It twisted around until a figure stepped out and stood next to the girl. The figure was a man dressed in a black robe with a zipper going down the middle. His hands were covered with black gloves that flexed as he brought them together, and black shoes clacked on the pavement as he walked. His silver hair fell down to his shoulders, and his piercing yellow eyes shifted around as he took in the scenery with great pleasure.

The man noticed the girl's sadness, so he gently touched her shoulder and said, "My dear, why are you crying?"

The girl looked up at the man and wasn't frightened at all. It was like she put all her faith in this man and would believe anything he told her. "Those people were ruining my perfect Christmas," she said through tears. "I don't know why someone would try to do something like that."

"You're right," said the man. "Nobody should ever try to ruin your perfect Christmas. I will make them see the error of their ways."

The girl stopped crying upon hearing what this man would do for her. "You will?" she said.

"Of course," replied the man. "I promised that your dreams would come true, so I will let them see that what they are doing is wrong."

With that, the man smirked and looked to the skies. Now he knew his plan would be in full force and nothing could stand in his way.

* * *

BlueTiger321: *gasps* What's going on here?

Aerrow: Don't spoil it! The readers are supposed to find out next chapter!

Finn: Next chapter? But I wanna know right now!

Piper: Well too bad! It's a lot more exciting this way.

BlueTiger321: That's right! So folks, I hope this left you on the edge of your seat! Until next time...

Aerrow, Piper and Finn: Read and review!


	4. Chapter 3: Revelation

Chapter 3: Revelation

BlueTiger321: So there were definitely a lot of unanswered questions in the last chapter. Who was that mysterious girl? Who is the man who's aiding our heroes? And what does it all have to do with that snow globe? The answers are right here! Enjoy!

* * *

Panic was now in full force in the streets of downtown Toon City. All inanimate objects that were related with the holidays were now coming to life and causing absolute pandemonium. No matter where anyone would go, there would always be something to stand in the way to create terror.

The man who met with Aerrow and his friends drove his car down the road faster as he saw the anarchy was increasing. It would only be a matter of time, he thought, until it would escalate into something much worse.

The man turned a sharp corner, making the tires of his vehicle screech and almost slide against the snow-covered asphalt. He watched through his rear view mirrors that the group was doing the same. Their destination was almost within sight, and then he would be able to explain to them everything they needed to hear.

Aerrow narrowed his eyes while driving his Skimmer on the road. His mind raced through everything he witnessed up until now. Why would a sweet, innocent girl be causing all this trouble? And how does this man know something about it? Whether he understood it or not, he was certain of one thing: something didn't add up in this equation.

Finn sighed in anxiety after all the travelling. "Where is this guy taking us anyway?" he said.

"I'm not sure," replied Aerrow, "but I've got the feeling there's more to him than meets the eye."

"Well I hope we can put a stop to all this soon," said Piper.

Stork chimed in by saying, "Um, I don't mean to rain on everyone's parade, but how are we even sure that he's going to help us?"

"Well, it's not every day that a stranger comes up to you out of nowhere and offers to help in a time of crisis," said Danny.

"Good point," said Stork.

It wasn't long before everyone realised the man was slowing his car before a large building. They were all glad to hopefully get the answers they want that would solve their predicament. The car gently slowed to a stop on the side of the road in front of the building. The Storm Hawks did the same with their Skimmers while Danny and June landed on the sidewalk with the boy reverting back to his normal self. Appa slowly descended from the sky and landed on the street where Aang and the others riding jumped off to join their friends. The flying lemur named Momo flapped his arms before he retracted his wings and landed on Aang's shoulder.

When all the vehicles were parked and shut off, everyone looked to see they were at a giant stone building at the top of a flight of steps. The building's entrance was surrounded by columns that held up the roof where stone gargoyles lined the top, their faces permanently set into snarls as though to ward off intruders. Situated outside the building was a pair of stone lions with their mouths open like they would each exhale a mighty roar. The group soon noticed this was the Toon City Public Library.

The man got out from his car and shut the door. He walked to the back after popping open the trunk where he opened it up to get something inside. Everyone waited patiently for him to finish his business but they were all left bewildered at what he pulled out from his car. In his hands was a long katana in its sheath. The hilt was decorated with blue and black fabric while the cross-guard was made of gold. The man shut the trunk and placed the katana in a loop on his belt.

Aang got up to the man and asked, "What's that for?"

The man turned to the Avatar and gave him a stern look, saying, "Protection."

With the weapon close to him, the man walked up the stairs to the library. The group soon followed after him while Appa remained outside. As soon as the sky bison was alone, she paused and turned his head to his left when she spotted something drawing closer. Whatever it was made him growl furiously and pound the street with his flat tail.

Everyone was now inside the library. The walls were painted white that went well with the hardwood floors and the paintings of famous authors. Everyone was oblivious to the group suddenly walking inside as they all carried out their business as usual. The man walked farther into the back without so much as glancing at each bookshelf. He knew what he needed was somewhere in this library and he obviously knew where it was.

Aerrow decided now was the time this man should explain everything he knows. "All right, this has gone far enough!" he said in a demanding tone. "If you expect us to go along with this then you better give us some answers! Who are you and how do you know so much about what's going on here?"

The man then stopped in his tracks. Upon hearing what the Sky Knight said, he knew that he would have to gain their trust if he wanted to stop the coming evil.

Turning around he said, "My name is BlueTiger321, but you can call me BlueTiger for short. I'm a researcher from the human world. And the reason why I know about all this is because I've studied everything about the enchanted snow globe."

Danny soon opened his eyes upon hearing what the human told him and his friends. "Enchanted snow globe?" he said. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the base of the snow globe he picked up off the ground. He showed it to BlueTiger321 and said, "Is this it?"

The man looked at the object in Danny's hands and he looked like his heart skipped a beat. The insignia on the base was staring at him like it was burned into the back of his mind, and all the memories of discovering the snow globe and what would happen if it was ever unleashed began to torment him.

"Where did you get that?" BlueTiger321 demanded.

Danny explained, "I bought it at the flea market and I accidentally slipped and broke it." The halfa soon yelped when the man grabbed his jacket collar and pulled him close to his face.

Rage was brewing in BlueTiger's eyes as he said through gritted teeth, "Do you realise what you've done!"

"Hey! I didn't know the thing was magic!" Danny said defensively. "I was just trying to buy a present for my girlfriend!"

June stepped in and pulled away Danny from BlueTiger's grip. Her eyes were soon level with the boy's as she said, "You got that for me?"

"Yeah," replied Danny. "It wasn't cheap, either."

BlueTiger321 then resumed his walk through the library and everyone once again followed. June momentarily stayed behind while she contemplated everything she heard from Danny. When she noticed she was being left behind, she snapped back to reality and rejoined the others.

The human stopped before a large bookshelf. Everyone was now left curious by what he was searching for in the library. They turned their gaze to the shelf's name on the side. Written in bold, black letters was the word _Myths and Legends_.

The man brought his finger over the spine of each book. He hoped that what he needed hadn't been checked out by another patron. As he continued his search, the others conversed about their recent escapade.

"How are we going to stop this... nightmare?" said Sokka.

"Yeah," said Zuko. His thumb was pointed at BlueTiger321 to reference his inquiry. "And how do you suppose _he_ has a stake in this?"

"Maybe we'll find out soon enough," said Aerrow. "But there's one other thing that's been bothering me. How was that girl controlling everything?"

"Naminé," said BlueTiger.

Everyone paused when they heard the man intrude. He overheard their conversation and knew exactly what they were saying. It almost put them on suspicion even more.

"Nami-what?" asked Junko.

BlueTiger kept his eyes over the books and explained, "The girl's name is Naminé. And she isn't the one in control of everything out there. All she was doing was wishing for it to happen." The man then stopped his finger over the right book. Pulling it off revealed it to have a green hardcover and a large stack of pages in the middle. The title was written in gold lettering that said _Magical Artifacts_.

BlueTiger walked off with the book in hand and set it down on a table. Opening it up, he leafed through the pages to find the section he required.

"Well if Naminé isn't the one in control of those monsters, then who is?" asked Katara.

"And why does she act like it's all a game to her?" added Piper.

Still looking through the book, BlueTiger replied, "The one creating everything you saw is an evil sorcerer named Xemnas. He gains power by manipulating people's deepest desires for his own twisted endeavours." He stopped on a page and pointed to what was inscribed on it.

Everyone leaned in to get a good look, and there they saw an ink drawing of a snow globe. The inside looked almost similar to that of Toon City with its miniature renditions of the skyscrapers, and in the middle was a Christmas tree with a golden star at the top. The snow globe also had a base where a symbol of a cross with the top half of a heart turned upside-down at the bottom.

Danny couldn't believe what he saw. The same snow globe he bought at the flea market was in the book. His eyes were wide with shock as he thought it couldn't be a coincidence. The boy turned to his girlfriend and said, "I'm sorry about this, June. I was only trying to find the right Christmas gift for you."

June merely waved off the feeling like she was unfazed by it. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It's not like you would've known this would happen."

Danny gave a half-smile, relieved that his girlfriend had consoled him but also worried there was something she wasn't telling him.

Finn broke the monotony by saying, "So what's up with that snow globe thingy?"

"Long ago," said BlueTiger321, "Xemnas had come upon Naminé. He could feel in her heart that she never had a joyous Christmas, so he promised to her that he would use his magic to make her dreams a reality. All Naminé wanted was to share her joy with others during the holiday, but Xemnas used her wishes as a scheme to enslave everyone in Toon City. Naminé sees everything as her perfect Christmas, but it's all an illusion created by Xemnas to keep her wishing just so he will gain more power.

"But the wizard Merlin was quick to catch on to Xemnas's insidious plot. By that time Xemnas had become too powerful, so there was nothing he could do to save the girl. In a last effort, Merlin used his magic to lock Xemnas and Naminé inside a snow globe to prevent his power from growing."

Everyone now understood the meaning of Naminé and all the evil that was unleashed on Toon City.

But Aerrow was still uncertain about one thing. His gaze met BlueTiger's as he said, "How do you know about the snow globe?"

The man turned his eyes down in guilt. He knew he could no longer hide the secret from these toons if they were to work together. "Because," he replied, "I was the one who discovered it."

Everyone gasped in surprise upon hearing BlueTiger's confession, and Radarr and Momo chirped in such a way to share everyone's bewilderment. Aerrow and his friends soon calmed down and knew they shouldn't have been so quick to be judgmental.

BlueTiger321 then decided to tell his side of the story. His memories of the incident soon came flooding back to him.

_The man was in an old building, seated in a chair behind a desk. The room was made of stone with windows supplying his only source of light. A large stack of books was in front of him while he was reading from another one. All seemed well for him as he continued to work._

"I came here from the human world to conduct research for my studies," explained BlueTiger. "Merlin's old home was the perfect place to do my work since everything I needed was there."

_BlueTiger closed the book and placed it on top of the others. He stretched his arms and yawned in the chair after accomplishing so much in one setting. Standing up, he walked over to fetch the next bit of information where he stopped upon seeing a brown box with golden edges._

"That is where I chanced upon the chest that contained the snow globe."

_BlueTiger knelt down, feeling curious by the box. He knew it wasn't right for him to go through Merlin's personal belongings, but then he figured that the wizard hadn't lived there for years and he was granted full access to his material. So, he thought, there shouldn't be any harm in looking._

_ Opening the box, the man saw the snow globe sitting neatly inside. The symbol on the base was out front for him to see. A look of wonder came to BlueTiger upon looking at the object. He couldn't understand why such a thing would be kept here but he obviously felt intrigued by the insignia._

"I consulted the library to find out the meaning behind the snow globe, and that's where I learned everything about it."

_The man brought the box with him to the library where he had the book _Magical Artifacts_ opened to him._

"At first I thought it was an old fairytale, but then I touched the snow globe... and everything became clear to me."

_BlueTiger had a look of disbelief on his face after reading from the book. To him there didn't seem anything evil about a snow globe. He wanted to see it again so he opened up the box and reached inside to grab it._

_ The moment his fingers clutched it did he see the star on the tree glow in a bright light. His eyes were focused on the light until he leaned back and gasped as he saw a vision of all the horrors inside the snow globe. He saw Xemnas laughing maniacally while Naminé imagined everything she wanted that came to life by Xemnas's command and ushered in a reign of destruction._

"I saw everything the book explained – the power Xemnas wielded and how he would use it not only to become the supreme ruler of Toon City but also the human world!"

_BlueTiger let go of the snow globe and breathed heavily after the experience. He couldn't believe that he had the fate of both worlds in his possession. A stern look then crossed his face._

"It took every fibre of my being to keep Xemnas's magic from corrupting me! If I held on to the snow globe any longer then I would've probably released him myself! I knew right then and there that no one should every get a hold of that snow globe!"

_The man closed the box with the snow globe still inside, placed the book back on the shelf, and exited the library with his burden._

The memories faded from BlueTiger while he finished his story. "After that, I threw the snow globe into the river where I hoped it would stay lost forever..." he said. "But it looks like I was wrong."

Everyone now understood how the man knew so much about the snow globe; it was by some random chance that he brought it out of hiding. Danny remembered seeing the star shine when he looked at the object. If it worked then he would've purposely released Xemnas, but he knew that it broke by accident. Despite this, he somehow felt partly responsible for causing it.

Toph stepped forward and turned to BlueTiger saying, "So basically you're telling us that you brought this on everyone, and now you need our help to fix your mistake." She then made a slight scoff. "Some defender you turned out to be..."

"I felt my actions were justified!" BlueTiger retorted. "I couldn't rest knowing that something that would put innocent lives in danger was in plain sight!"

Aerrow approached the man with a determined look. "This wasn't your fault," he said. "What's done is done and there's nothing we can do to change it. Right now Xemnas is causing mayhem, and we'll do whatever it takes to stop him and save Naminé and the city!"

BlueTiger321 lightened up to the Sky Knight's words. With his spirit reinvigorated he said, "All right. Now let's get started!"

"But what are we doin' here when we should be out there kickin' butt?" asked Finn.

"I'm checking the book for anything I may have overlooked," replied BlueTiger. "It might lead us to how we're going to stop Xemnas."

The man turned to the next page but stopped when he could feel that two of them were stuck together. A perplexed look came to his face upon seeing it, so he slowly separated the two pages. BlueTiger then saw what was in the pages he missed: on the left was an ink drawing of a golden star with the words at the bottom to decipher its meaning, and on the right was a map of old Toon City with five locations circled in red. The man studied every word with great earnest.

"What did you find?" asked Katara.

"According to this," replied the human, "Merlin anticipated that the snow globe may unleash Xemnas one day, so he placed a counterspell in the snow globe so anyone would be able to save Naminé and break Xemnas's spell. All we have to do is find the five shards of the golden star, reassemble it, and place it at the top of the tree before midnight."

"What happens at midnight?" wondered Junko.

"That is when Xemnas's magic will be at its peak," said BlueTiger. "He'll then be able to cast it on the human world where he'll have control over everything!"

"What time is it now?" asked Aang.

The human shook his left wrist and looked at his wristwatch. "It's four o'clock," he said worriedly.

"That means we only have eight hours to find the shards!" Piper said in a panic.

Stork narrowed his eyes and said in an irritated voice, "Merlin _sure_ couldn't make it easy for us, could he?"

BlueTiger321 grabbed the book with the pages still open and took it with him to another location. The others followed him to the section of the library that contained the maps where they saw the man look through each bin until he pulled out a current map of Toon City. Unrolling it, he grabbed a black marker and checked each location from the book and circled where each shard would be in Toon City.

All the locations were marked so he showed the map to the group and said, "Okay, I've pinpointed each spot where the shards are hidden: Toon Central Park, Hartman Mall, DiMartino Train Station, Fipke Theatre, and this library."

"Well then let's get in gear!" said Aerrow enthusiastically.

All of a sudden, there was a loud bang coming from the front doors. Everyone was jolted to its location and decided to prepare for the worst. If it was the work of Xemnas then it could only mean that his evil magic was growing.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, there you have it! Another chapter finished!

Finn: Whoa! It seems like a lot.

Katara: I hope we complete our mission safely!

Zuko: I don't think it's gonna be that easy.

BlueTiger321: No, it won't. Anyway folks, I'd like to say that I'm not really a fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, but I do respect it and thought Xemnas and Naminé would do well in this story. Also if you've noticed, I've used the last names of some cartoon creators for the locations of the shards, so they are property of those creators. So, until next time...

Everyone: Read and review!


	5. Chapter 4: The Hunt

Chapter 4: The Hunt

BlueTiger321: Well, so our heroes now have their work cut out for them. Will they be able to break Xemnas's spell in time? It all starts right here!

* * *

The banging doors echoed throughout the library, alerting everyone inside to the upcoming threat. It was so ominous that no one dared to step close to them and let the sound continue pounding in their ears. Pretty soon there wouldn't be anything left standing between whatever was out there and everyone in the building.

Aerrow, BlueTiger and the others were already taking action. The Storm Hawks drew their weapons, the Avatar's group got into their bending stances, and Danny switched into his ghost form. Toph felt helpless in this fight since her earthbending could not allow her to see through the hardwood floor but she desperately wanted to join her friends in the action.

The human of the group kept his hand on the hilt of his katana. His eyes narrowed with focus while he waited along with the toons to battle whoever or whatever was coming. Now he was going to show the others exactly what he was capable of and that he wasn't going to allow the sorcerer to carry out his plans.

With one last bang, the doors burst open and splintered to pieces on the floor. At the entrance was another group of snowmen like they all saw earlier, only looking more ferocious. Everyone else in the library shouted in fright upon seeing the monstrosities and began running for the emergency exits. Aerrow and the others stood their ground as the civilians rushed past them. They all thought it was better this way so they wouldn't have to worry about holding back on this fight if the innocents did stay.

When the last patron was gone, everyone rushed in and shouted battle cries. Before they could do anything, they all watched as the snowmen raised their arms and fired snowballs from their palms. Everyone stopped in their tracks and ducked on instinct as the projectiles zoomed past them. They watched as the snowballs then hit random objects in the library – books, chairs, tables and more – and froze them in a block of ice on contact.

The group then stood up with worried expressions on their faces as they saw the newfound power in the snowmen.

"They never did _that_ before!" said June.

"That means it's already begun," said BlueTiger. "Xemnas's spell is getting stronger! Soon it'll spread to any inanimate object!"

A sudden realisation then hit Aang. His eyes were open with horror when he knew that his sky bison was outside by himself. "Appa!" he shouted. "I've gotta get out there and protect him!"

The Avatar was about to run when a hand grabbed onto his robe. He turned around to find Toph was holding it to get his attention. "Take me with you," she said. "I won't be able to fight in here where there's no earth to bend."

Aang knew his friend had a point. Plus, he thought, with her out there if would be easier to help Appa instead of having to do it by himself. "Okay," he said. "Let's go!"

The boy and girl began to run to the exit where the snowmen advanced on them. Aang narrowed his eyes when he saw the monsters were about to fire another round of snowballs. With one swift motion, he twisted into the air and launched a wave of fire at his foes. The flames melted the snowmen standing in his way and so he and Toph exited the library while the others fought against the remaining snowmen.

BlueTiger started by unsheathing his katana. The blade was sharp and shined brilliantly in the light. He let out a furious grunt while he swung it to cut down his foes. Everyone watched the human use his sword so proficiently like he had been practicing for years. They were then brought back to reality when snowmen started advancing on them, and so they joined in the battle.

* * *

Outside the library, Appa was roaring while snowmen were attempting to capture him. The sky bison was more of a match for the monsters due to his size. He swung around his tail and swatted away each snowman like it was a bothersome fly.

But another snowman took the place of each one that was defeated. Eventually Appa was forced to rise from the ground to keep the monsters from grabbing him. The snowmen were already taking action. They raised their arms to the sky and caused them to stretch out and capture Appa by his legs and tail. The sky bison let out another furious roar in response. He tried to shake free but the grip around each snowy hand was too strong and the cold feeling was starting to make his limbs go numb. Each snowman then forced him to descend back onto the street where they all smirked after capturing their target.

"Let him go!" shouted a boy.

The snowmen turned their heads to see Aang and Toph take a huge leap from the top of the stairs. They landed in front of the monsters with their fists slamming the road. A wave of stalagmites then made their way over to each snowman where they were skewered upon impact. With the snowmen destroyed, Appa was able to break out of their clutches and land safely on the road.

More snowmen were already on their way over to fight. The Avatar and his friend were ready for them by combining their bending styles together. Aang created a large tornado using his hands that sucked up the snowmen he faced. The wind ripped apart his foes and spread the snow softly on the ground.

The snowmen facing Toph each fired a snowball from their palms. The blind girl quickly took action by raising a wall of earth in front of her that froze instantly when it received each blow from the projectiles. Toph smirked when she could still feel control over the wall even though it was frozen. She grunted as she pushed it in front where it smashed into the snowmen and made them fall to pieces.

* * *

Back inside the library, everyone fought valiantly against the snowmen still attacking them. Aerrow, Piper and Finn took down each foe with the blasts they released from their weapons while Junko ran with outstretched arms as his Knuckle Buster-infused hands obliterated their heads.

Radarr was on a table throwing whatever he could get his paws on at the snowmen: books, pencils, rulers, and other assorted objects. The supplies only stuck into the snowmen's bodies and made them annoyed. The furry co-pilot let out a terrified chirp to see his foes still coming so he grabbed onto Momo flying over him before the table was broken in half by a snowman.

Stork ran away from four snowmen while shouting with fright as they launched snowballs at him. Each attack missed but the Merb knew his luck was going to run out eventually. Stork hid behind a bookshelf and breathed heavily. The snowmen were gaining on him and he had to come up with some way to get rid of them. That's when he saw something: a ladder on rails was at the end of the bookshelf in front of him. This gave Stork an idea, and it made him smile devilishly.

The snowmen marched up to the bookshelf where they saw their target run behind and they were now getting ready to strike. They each went single file into it and were expecting the green-skinned humanoid to be there, but instead they found nothing. Each snowman drew a blank face as they wondered what could've happened. They all then heard shouting in the distance and were left motionless at what they saw. Stork let out a joyous shout as he rode the ladder quickly down the bookshelf where it smashed into each snowman.

The ladder stopped when it reached the end of its rails and Stork held on before he was thrown to the side. He looked back and saw all the carnage he created after his plan had worked. "What a rush!" he said.

Katara and Zuko each held their own against their foes by using their bending abilities to melt or freeze them. Meanwhile, Sokka used the combination of both his sword and boomerang to dispatch the snowmen he faced. They all fought effectively as part of a team and they showed no signs of submission.

Danny and June used their combined speed and strength on their end of the battle. The Te Xuan Ze was able to lift each snowman with relative ease where the halfa would fly through them and either blast them with his beams or chop through them with his fists or feet. They all smiled as the defeated snowmen lay before them in huge clumps, yet Danny still couldn't get rid of the feeling his girlfriend was upset over something he did regarding her present.

The last of the snowmen now faced BlueTiger321. His katana was held out and he looked at the snowmen with spite. He could see from the corners of his eyes that the others were coming to his aid, but he knew he had the situation under control. Concentrating hard, the blade of his weapon then began to glow red until it was now covered with flames.

Everyone paused what they were about to do when they saw the man execute something none of them had ever seen. They were all left puzzled at how their comrade could do something like this.

With a furious cry, BlueTiger swung his katana horizontally and released a wave of fire. The attack spread outward and struck each snowman where they melted instantly from the intense heat. Seeing there were no more monsters standing before him, the man extinguished the flames covering his blade and stuck it back into the sheath.

Everyone gave the man a weird expression at the feat he just performed. BlueTiger turned to them and gave a short smile. "I told you it was for protection," he said coolly.

* * *

Aang and Toph continued fighting outside until all the snowmen were destroyed. They each breathed heavily after they felt like it was never going to end. They were especially glad when they knew Appa was safe so they finally relaxed after a job well done.

The boy looked up and saw something that made him feel like he would jump out of his skin. The two stone lions outside of the library were now coming to life. They stood up from their pedestals and let out a mighty roar. After that they leapt off and headed into the library.

The Avatar's eyes were wide with terror when he knew his friends were still inside. "Toph, stay here with Appa!" he said. "I've gotta go help the others!" Aang jumped from the street and landed on the top step of the library where he quickly ran inside the building.

The blind girl crossed her arms together and pouted when she and the sky bison were left outside by themselves. "Well this is the worst Christmas ever," she said.

* * *

The battle in the library was over, and everyone gathered around BlueTiger after witnessing his impressive display. Seeing a human perform something so unique was unexpected and now they were curious at what else he could do. At least now they all knew he could take care of himself.

"How did you do that?" asked Sokka.

"I happened to learn some magic during my time here," replied the man. "I figured now seemed to be the appropriate time to put it to good use."

"That was awesome!" said Finn. "Those snow freaks didn't stand a chance against you!"

"Now's not the time to be awing at what he can do!" said Aerrow. "Xemnas probably knows we're on to him!"

"Aerrow's right," said Piper. "We better get moving. The nearest shard is somewhere in this library."

No sooner did Piper finish her statement when they heard roaring near the entrance. Everyone turned around instantly to find two stone lions running up to them at great speed. It was so sudden that no one had time to react. All they could do was stand there and scream while they waited for the lions to pounce.

Everything soon changed when Aang jumped down to where his friends were standing just before the lions attacked. As the Avatar came down he touched his staff to the floor and let out a huge gust of air. The blast forced the lions back and made them sprawl onto the floor.

"That was close! Thanks, Aang!" said Katara, her heart beating a mile a minute.

"That won't last!" said BlueTiger. "We should get out of here, now!"

"But what about the shard?" said Junko.

"I have a good feeling where it is. Come, this way!" The man gestured over to a door off to the side and ran over as fast as his legs would carry him.

The group complied with the human and soon they were there and ran inside when he opened the door. Everyone then saw a flight of stairs going up in a spiral. Without giving it another thought they ran up the stairs while BlueTiger stayed behind only to see the lions running towards him. The man quickly ran into the staircase and slammed the door behind him. The lions clawed their way through the door just as BlueTiger ran up the stairs to join the others.

Aerrow and his friends soon made it to the roof of the library where they regained their breath after running up so many stairs. The cold air once again stung everyone's cheeks upon being outside again, but at least they knew they could get a vantage point from whatever Xemnas would send their way next.

"Where's the shard?" said Zuko.

"I don't see it anywhere," said Danny.

The door to the staircase opened up to reveal BlueTiger. He slammed the door behind him again after coming outside where everyone greeted him.

"Is everything all right?" asked Katara.

"Not really," replied the man. "Those lions will be up here any minute. Let's find the shard and get out of here before we're all dead meat!"

"But we don't even know where it is!" said June.

BlueTiger walked over to the edge of the building where he leaned down and stared at the wall close to the top. His eyes shifted around, looking at each gargoyle perched close to the roof until he saw something twinkle in his eye. Focusing, he saw clutched within one of the gargoyle's teeth was a golden shard shaped into a point.

"Right there!" the man shouted, pointing to the gargoyle.

Everyone leaned in to see the shard. They couldn't believe their eyes to see the man was telling the truth. "How did you know?" asked Stork.

"I remembered seeing something shine on the roof when we came into the library," replied BlueTiger.

Danny was already taking the initiative by floating in mid-air. "I'll get it!" he said.

The ghost boy flew down to the gargoyle with an outstretched hand. He thought it was rather easy that they got the first shard this way, but then Danny's luck changed. The gargoyle came to life and flapped its wings where it flew away with the shard still in its teeth.

Danny narrowed his eyes in annoyance and grunted. "Figures!" he said. He then flew after the gargoyle to get the shard.

As everyone watched their friend go after the gargoyle, the door behind them was burst open. The growling from the lions struck fear in everyone's hearts. Now they had nowhere to run as they were backed against the roof. But Piper secretly had her hands behind her back and pulled out the crystals she used to cast the Binding on Aerrow.

The first lion leapt out and headed straight for the group, letting out another furious roar.

Piper then brought out her hands with the crystals and pointed them to Aerrow. "Diamond's Edge!" she shouted.

A purple beam shot out from Piper's hands that sped towards Aerrow. The beam covered the Sky Knight in a purple aura and he brought his hands forward just as the lion was about to pounce. Immediately, Aerrow's hands were now covered in diamond that stretched out until it was long and jagged. The lion was already in the air when the diamond struck it in the chest. Several cracks formed along the stone lion's body until it shattered to pieces along the roof.

The second lion was already advancing. This time BlueTiger was taking care of it. As the lion was about to jump on him he held out his hands and concentrated. His palms glowed green until they released a blast of energy that sent the lion off the roof and plummeting to the ground. Everyone then heard a crashing sound and saw the lion had broken to pieces just like the first one.

Meanwhile, Danny still chased after the gargoyle. He was getting tired to racing through the skies after the creature, especially since he knew time was of the essence. The adrenaline coursing through his body then caused him to fly faster where he stretched out his fist as it glowed with green light. The ghost boy then smashed through the gargoyle where it crumbled in mid-air. Danny quickly grabbed the shard before it fell down along with the broken remains of the gargoyle.

"And that's that!" he said.

Danny flew back to the others just as they all relaxed after getting rid of the lions. Smiles came to everyone's face when they saw the first shard in the ghost boy's hand.

"One down, four to go!" said Sokka.

"Yeah," said Aerrow. "Now we just have to get down from here in a hurry."

A surprise came to everyone when they saw a stone column suddenly appear next to the roof. They all looked down to see Toph standing at the bottom smiling up at everyone.

"Need a lift?" said the blind girl.

Everyone but Danny stepped onto the column where Toph stomped her foot on the ground to bend it back down. The column of earth brought the group safely down while Danny floated to meet them along with Toph.

"Now we all know what to do," said Aang.

"Right," said BlueTiger. He looked at his watch to check the time. "We only have about seven hours left, so we should each break off into groups and head for where the shards are hidden."

"But even if we do find all the shards," said Stork, "how will we know which tree to place the star on?"

Aerrow thought about this and that's when the idea struck him. "I think I know," he said. "It must be the tree at CN Square. I remember seeing no star on it after the snowstorm. That's gotta be where the star goes!"

"I remember seeing it too," said Danny.

"All right," said BlueTiger. "We better get moving since there's no time to waste."

"My team and I will head over to Toon Central Park," said Aerrow.

"June and I will go to the mall," said Danny.

Aang gestured over to Sokka, Katara, Zuko and Toph and said, "We'll go to the train station."

"Then I'll head for the theatre," said BlueTiger. "Good luck, everyone!"

The mission was set, and everyone broke off into their specified groups. The Storm Hawks headed for their Skimmers and drove to the east, June grabbed hold of Danny's hand and flew off south, Aang and his group quickly got on Appa and flew to the west, and BlueTiger got in his car and drove to the north. Even though they were apart, they knew they were with each other in spirit and it would carry them on until they put an end to the madness.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, this chapter was definitely interesting. So folks, stay tuned when I have the next one up, but until then be sure to read and review!


	6. Chapter 5: The Storm Hawks on Ice

Chapter 5: The Storm Hawks on Ice

BlueTiger321: Well folks, now our heroes have split off into different parties in an attempt to find the remaining shards before Xemnas becomes unstoppable. But will they pull through before it's too late? Find out for yourselves!

* * *

Night time was fast approaching on Toon City. The winter time forced the sun to set into the horizon earlier than usual, casting a blanket of darkness over the metropolis. The street lamps immediately turned on to give the residents the little bit of hope they needed in the abysmal time that had befallen them.

The spell Xemnas cast on the city was slowly but surely gaining strength. Now any object the sorcerer deemed suitable for conquering the two worlds came alive and attacked every civilian. Toys would grow beyond their normal size and use their special features as weapons or powers. A teddy bear being held by a girl named Bubbles (_The Powerpuff Girls_) grew up in front of her where it roared and extended its claws, making the girl scream with fright.

A teenage boy named Ichigo Kurosaki (_Bleach_) ran as he was being chased by a horde of soccer balls that bounced around and gnashed their razor-sharp teeth from their newly formed mouths.

No one was safe from anything in the city. It completely turned into a place of misery where escaped seemed impossible.

As everyone was running around in an attempt to save themselves, they could all hear a sound in the distance. It was so noticeable that even the monsters stopped terrorizing and caught wind of it. Though none of them knew exactly what it was, it sounded like a bunch of vehicles were headed their way; almost like motorcycles.

A cry was also heard along with the sounds. As the noises grew louder, everyone looked to see the Storm Hawks driving fast down the street on their Skimmers. The one emitting the cry was Aerrow, and he held one of his daggers in his right hand while driving with the other. The remaining Storm Hawks had also drawn their weapons and drove with their Sky Knight right next to each other.

The monsters soon reacted to the squadron. They took their focus away from the citizens and began to attack Aerrow and his team.

The red-haired teen smirked, thinking that his plan to draw away the monsters had worked. With an invigorated spirit he cried, "Charge!"

Toy soldiers were aiming their rifles and getting ready to fire, but Aerrow quickly drove by them and slashed with his blade furiously. As soon as the boy was gone, the soldiers' weapons fell to pieces out of their hands, which were followed by their own limbs falling off their plastic bodies.

A giant teddy bear stood in the way of Piper, its claws stretched out and its sharp teeth dripping with saliva. The crystal mage spun her staff above her head the moment she was almost within reach. The teddy bear roared and swiped its massive paws but Piper aimed her staff low when she drove by and knocked the bear off its feet. The teddy bear was about to hit the asphalt when Piper aimed the butt of her staff and fired a blue pulse. The attack hit the bear's head and made it explode into stuffing.

"I'll never look at a teddy bear the same way again," said Piper.

Finn looked to be outnumbered against all the living soccer balls coming straight for him. The sharpshooter smirked while bringing up his Skimmer's retractable crossbow. The soccer balls bounced in closer with their teeth ready to chomp down on any part of Finn. In that instant, Finn let loose a volley of bolts from his crossbow that destroyed all the soccer balls without missing a single shot.

The sharpshooter then arrogantly blew away imaginary smoke from his trigger finger over his victory. "Chicka-cha!" he said.

An army of giant gingerbread men were coming up on Junko. The Wallop was about to activate his Knuckle Busters when he realised what he was facing. That sudden comprehension is what gave him an idea. Licking his lips, he drove faster and headed straight for his delicious foes.

The gingerbread men set their faces into scowls but then frowned at what they saw: Junko leaning over his Skimmer with his mouth wide open. Screams escaped from the gingerbread men's mouths that soon went silent as Junko gobbled up one and grabbed whichever one was in arm's reach. Running was futile for the gingerbread army as Junko's Skimmer would outrun them before they had a chance to escape. The hungry Wallop swallowed down each gingerbread man and let out a huge belch when he was done.

"I wonder if there's a giant glass of milk somewhere," said Junko.

Giant radio-controlled cars were chasing Stork down the road in the Merb's own unique Skimmer, the Stork-Mobile. The worried carrier pilot looked behind him to hear the familiar sound of the wheels rolling down the street. And what was more surprising was that missiles appeared on their roofs that were getting ready to launch.

But Stork knew of a way to dispose of his pursuers. Smiling, he reached for a button on his dashboard and said, "Chew on this!"

The button was pressed, and underneath the Stork-Mobile two nozzles came out that sprayed oil all over the road behind the vehicle. The radio-controlled cars made contact with the black substance and then skid out of control. Eventually the cars ran into each other with their missiles still attached to their roofs. A huge explosion of fire and plastic was seen after the cars crashed when their missiles detonated.

Stork skidded to a halt and saw the rising fireball behind him. Laughter escaped from his lips for thinking up something so ingenious.

All the citizens cheered on as they saw the Storm Hawks come to their rescue, their Skimmers proudly going past everyone in the streets. To Aerrow he knew the congratulations weren't necessary since the thought of being a hero was its own reward. Still, he thought there was no harm in smiling and waving to them to acknowledge their gratitude. Some even chanted their own praise for the Sky Knight squadron's heroism.

"You guys are the best!" said a boy named Manny Rivera (_El Tigre_).

"Bust those bad toys!" shouted a girl named Kole (_Teen Titans_).

The Storm Hawks continued driving through the streets with the cheers echoing in their heads. They all knew this was only a temporary victory because the threat of Xemnas's spell still lingered in the air.

Finn looked back with wonder forming on his face. "Man, I wish we coulda stayed and told that crowd how grateful we are," he said.

"There's no time, Finn," explained Aerrow. "We've got a mission to complete, remember?"

"He's right," Piper agreed. "We've got to head for the park and find the shard before the whole city is under Xemnas's control."

The blonde sharpshooter grunted and widened his brow, knowing what his friends told him made sense. All he wanted was to be treated like the hero he always deserved he should be. But now there were more pressing matters to attend to instead of living out his fantasy.

The Storm Hawks kept their steady pace through the streets. A lucky feeling soon washed over each of them as they noticed that so far they hadn't encountered anything out of the ordinary that unexpectedly came at them. Hopefully, they thought, it would remain like this until they all got to the park.

All seemed quiet to the team, and that's when Aerrow slightly turned his gaze to Piper. The boy then saw her hair rustle through the wind, her skin looking smooth on her body, and her eyes shining like the sun on a new day. It was these features that suddenly made Aerrow realise how beautiful his friend appeared to him. All this now made him develop feelings for Piper, and yet he couldn't understand why he never noticed them until now.

Radarr sat perfectly in the cockpit of Aerrow's Skimmer and noticed the look the boy was giving to Piper. The little guy obviously knew his friend was seeing something he never saw before and it was soon taking hold of him. Radarr had no problem with it – in fact, he would encourage it – but he knew he had to get his friend back to reality. The co-pilot chirped and made Aerrow blink twice, which made him focus on the road.

Piper saw out of the corner of her eye that her friend was acting strangely. "Are you okay, Aerrow?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine," replied the Sky Knight. "What made you think otherwise?" He knew that was a silly excuse but he didn't know what else to say to not arouse suspicion.

Piper stared at her friend oddly before looking back on the road. She decided not to pry anything from Aerrow that he didn't want to say. "Okay," she said acceptingly.

Stork looked forward and saw their destination. "We're coming up on Toon Central Park!" he said.

The Storm Hawks drove up the street and saw the glorious trees and fields of Toon Central Park all covered with snow. It was a large area situated in a block surrounded by buildings and houses from every side. In the centre of the park was a gigantic lake that was completely frozen, making it look like glass in the snowy setting. The sight of the park was truly breathtaking for anyone.

"Okay, guys!" said Aerrow. "It's time to show Xemnas that we're not gonna take this lying down!"

The Sky Knight sped up his Skimmer while the others did the same. While driving quickly through the street, it almost seemed like the park was within arm's reach. But their luck had just about run out when they saw the entire area around the park was suddenly being covered in a large wall of ice. The frozen barricade stuck out of the ground and was pointed at the tips to prevent anyone from entering.

Aerrow knew this was obviously the work of Xemnas. His face tightened into a serious look when he thought the sorcerer was causing a hindrance for him and his friends.

"Do we have a Plan B?" said Junko.

"What else?" replied Aerrow. "It's time to take this to the skies!"

With that, Aerrow lifted up his Skimmer and Radarr pulled the switch next to it to activate flight mode. The sides of the vehicle then spread apart to form two wings on each side just as the wheels retracted. Finn and Junko had done the same for their Skimmers as well, rising into the sky along with their leader. Piper then commanded her Heliscooter to form rotors from the rear wheel and the top to rise into the air. Stork then activated flight mode for the Stork-Mobile by bringing out rotors from the wheels as well as from the top.

Aerrow smirked once he and his team were flying over the ice wall, thinking they had outsmarted Xemnas. "A little wall is no match for us!" he said.

All of a sudden, something sped by Radarr at an alarming speed and made him shriek upon almost getting hit. This made the furry co-pilot stare down at the ground in horror. A chirp escaped his lips to get Aerrow's attention.

"What is it, Radarr?" asked the boy.

Radarr pointed down to where he was looking, and Aerrow saw dozens of icicles shooting up from the ground. The sharp projectiles took to the sky like ignited rockets, and the Storm Hawks were their targets. Everyone soon screamed as they were now getting battered by the icicles. Their rides could only take a certain amount of damage before they would be decimated.

"We have to land!" shouted Piper.

"But we're so close to the park!" said Finn.

"I'd rather land safely with my ride in one piece than crash in a fiery explosion!" said Stork.

As much as Aerrow didn't want to admit it, Stork had a point. Any more of this barrage and there wouldn't be anything left of them. "Looks like we're grounded," he said in a defeated tone. "Storm Hawks, land!"

Turning around their Skimmers, the Storm Hawks headed away from the park where they returned their rides to vehicle mode and landed safely close to the wall. Now they would have to think of another way to get into the park.

"Now how are we supposed to find the shard?" said Finn.

"Well," said Aerrow, "if we can't fly our way in then we'll have to do the alternate approach." The Sky Knight turned to his strongman for the job. "Junko!"

"I'm on it!" cried the Wallop.

Junko leapt off his parked Skimmer where he slammed his fists together and ignited his Knuckle Busters. The power from his weapons would increase his strength for breaking down the wall, making it seem like a menial task to him. But as soon as his fists made contact with the ice, Junko cried in pain. The blow had barely made a dent in the wall and caused the Wallop to hold his throbbing hand in defeat.

Aerrow was left speechless from what he saw. "It looks like Junko could use a hand," he said.

An idea struck Piper as she pulled out crystals from behind her back. "I've got just the thing," she said. Holding out her crystals to Aerrow, she shouted, "Titan's Might!"

A green beam erupted from Piper's hands that covered Aerrow in the same aura. The boy then felt like he had the strength of fifty Wallops, making him smile with confidence. As Junko was about to try punching the wall again, Aerrow came in running with his fist extended. Both Aerrow and Junko punched the wall and this time caused it to crack. The blow from both attacks was enough to make the section of the wall crumble into large chunks.

The Storm Hawks could now see their entrance into Toon Central Park, which they all ran into while shouting over their victory. Stork, meanwhile, walked inside while shivering from the cold.

"Oh, good idea Stork," he cursed to himself. "You _had_ to come in with the others where you'll know it'll only lead to hypothermia."

The group was now on the park grounds, glad to see the icicles that attacked them earlier had stopped. Now all that lay before them was a wide open space where the shard of the golden star was hidden.

"So where do we start?" said Piper.

"I think our best bet is to cover every square inch of the park," replied Aerrow.

Everyone soon nodded to Aerrow's suggestion, but then they all saw another one of Xemnas's tricks. The ice on the ground was now taking shape, standing up all on its own and twisting into humanoid figures. The Storm Hawks were now standing in front of an army of ice warriors, their bodies appearing as smooth as glass with no expressions on their faces.

Aerrow wasn't at all intimidated by these new foes. With his daggers ignited he cried, "You're not gonna stand in our way!"

The ice warriors marched forth with their arms raised ready to attack. The red-haired teen brought his blades together and spread them apart, releasing a long blue wave of energy that shattered a row of the warriors instantly.

Piper spun around her staff in front of her the moment the warriors fired a barrage of icicles from their arms. The icy shots bounced off the staff and away from the girl, allowing her to rush in and knock down all the warriors in her path.

Stork was busy screaming and hiding behind a bush to avoid serious injury while Junko and Finn stood back to back to each other. The Wallop punched away any warrior that dared to get too close to him while the marksman used his crossbow to destroy his targets from a distance. Just then, an ice warrior facing Junko rose up its arm to fire. Seeing this, Junko instinctively panicked and rolled out of the way just as the icicle flying to the ground came at him. Unfortunately for Finn, he was too busy fighting to notice it and the icicle instantly encased his feet in ice upon contact. The sharpshooter tried to break free but it was to no avail as the ice prevented him from moving.

"Aw man!" Finn shouted in frustration.

Radarr saw Finn was in trouble so he dropped a snowball he was planning to throw and rushed over to his friend. The little guy ran on all fours with a plan in mind. With a loud chirp he leapt towards Finn's feet and pounded his fists against it. The ice was too hard for him to break so he then tried biting on it. The moment his mouth touched the ice he noticed something: he couldn't pull himself away. Radarr looked down only to find his tongue was now stuck to the ice. He tried to pull it off but it only made his tongue hurt.

Finn looked down and slapped his palm to his forehead, thinking this wasn't Radarr's proudest moment.

Aerrow fought off another group of ice warriors with irritation growing in his mind. Turning to the others he said, "This is pointless! Let's just find the shard and get out of here!"

The other Storm Hawks agreed with their Sky Knight. They all watched him run away from the battle with Piper following soon afterward. Junko ran up next to Finn and Radarr and pulled them both out of their confinement. The sharpshooter was being held on top of Junko's shoulder, glad to finally be out of the ice, but Radarr looked at his throbbing tongue after being forcefully pulled off by the Wallop. Now he thought it would leave a mark.

After Stork ran out from the bush to join the others, Piper halted momentarily to see the ice warriors were soon on their tail. If they followed after them then there would be another inane battle. That's when she reached behind her back and pulled out a small magma crystal, glowing orange and covered with bits of rock to appear like magma. Piper grunted and threw the crystal at the ice warriors and watched it make an explosion that melted the icy humanoids. Smirking, the crystal mage returned to her friends.

The Storm Hawks ran through the park until they all stopped on the giant lake. By that time the winds hollowed and blew snow around everyone, making them cover their faces. When the snow was gone they all looked around the scenery, hoping this was where the shard would be located. All of them stopped searching when they heard malicious laughter coming from nowhere. It was so unexpected that they drew their weapons to prepare for the worst.

Looking out at the lake, they all saw black smoke twist around until it was the size of a person. From out of the smoke was someone none of the Storm Hawks recognised. There they saw was a man dressed in a black robe with silver hair and yellow eyes, and the laughter was coming from him.

As soon as the man stopped laughing, Aerrow pointed his dagger at him. "You must be Xemnas," he said with anger in his voice.

"Indeed, I am," replied the sorcerer. "And I must commend you for making it this far, but I'm afraid that this is where it ends for you."

"Oh yeah...? We'll see about that!" cried Finn. Taking aim with his crossbow, he fired a bolt at the sorcerer.

Xemnas didn't move an inch as the bolt came straight for him. When it was close enough, he raised his right hand and the bolt froze in mid-air. Finn gave a look of disbelief to see his attack fail, but was even more stunned to see Xemnas laugh as he turned the bolt to stone right before his eyes. The stone bolt fell to the ice where it made a small thud and rested on the surface.

"How pitiful," said Xemnas. "If that is the best you can do, then you don't have any hope of defeating me."

"How'd you know where to find us?" said Junko.

Xemnas gave a short chuckle to the question. "You can't honestly be this foolish," he said. "I knew all about the counterspell Merlin placed in that wretched snow globe after he locked me in there! I could feel its power brewing ever since I escaped! Merlin must've been more idiotic than I thought if he believed he could rely on anyone to stop me!"

Rage soon formed inside Aerrow. "You sociopath!" he shouted. "It's bad enough that you would attempt to enslave toons and humans, but you used a sweet, innocent girl like Naminé to do it! All she ever wanted was to spread joy to others on Christmas, and you took advantage of her!"

"You're disgusting!" Piper added, sharing Aerrow's anger.

Again, Xemnas emitted laughter and said, "All I'm doing is making her wishes come true. It's not my fault that she's too naïve to know any better. But now I fear I've wasted too much time on you. I'll leave you now with something that should keep you busy until you've all drawn your last breaths!"

The sorcerer then raised his hands to the sky and unleashed a blinding red light. The Storm Hawks were forced to shield their eyes from the light until it was gone. Once their vision was clear, they all saw Xemnas laughing devilishly and disappear into a cloud of smoke.

Finn broke the silence by saying, "Okay, so what's gonna happen now?"

Suddenly, the entire park began to shake violently. They all tried to keep their balance while preparing for the unknown. Ice around the park then began to shift together and grow exponentially. The Storm Hawks gazed up with terror on their faces when they saw a giant ice monster (the Ice Titan from _Hercules_) towering over them.

Stork gulped at the sight of the ice monster. "Um, I vote that we run!" he said.

The other Storm Hawks all thought the same thing as they turned around and ran away screaming. The Ice Titan soon took after them, its massive feet making loud booms as it walked.

Still running through the park, Aerrow and his team tried to get out and back to their Skimmers in the hopes of having a chance of fighting the Titan. They were almost at the section of the wall where the gaping hole stood, and it seemed like they would make it. But the Titan crashed through the park, knocking down trees in its path. Upon seeing its targets trying to escape, it opened up its gaping mouth and breathed out a blizzard that instantly froze the wall once again.

The Storm Hawks stopped in their tracks when they saw their only exit was blocked off and the Ice Titan was right behind them. They turned around when its shadow loomed over them and they all saw the monster was getting ready to create another blizzard.

"Everyone, scatter!" shouted Aerrow.

The blizzard rained down and everyone jumped out of the way before they were caught in its path. The Storm Hawks busily ran around the Titan and started attacking. Aerrow, Piper and Finn all fired pulses from their weapons, but all it did was annoy the monster as the attacks only felt like pinches to it.

Bringing back one of its mighty hands, the Titan swept it through the park to swat away the Storm Hawks. Aerrow and Piper managed to roll away in time but Finn, Junko, Stork and Radarr were left running for their lives away from the giant hand. All the snow gathered from the hand then looked like a gigantic avalanche that caught the four of them. The snow then formed into a large pile with Finn, Junko and Radarr sticking their heads out and Stork trapped with his legs dangling in the air.

"This is not how I wanted to be spending the holidays!" said Finn.

Aerrow looked like all was hopeless for him and his teammates. The Ice Titan was too much for them to handle and they never even found the shard. That's when something twinkled in his eye. Looking up at the Titan, Aerrow saw something golden and fastened into a point within the monster's chest. The Sky Knight smiled when he realised that was the shard, and an idea already formed in his head.

"Piper," said Aerrow, "I need you to cast the Binding on me!"

"Why?" asked the girl.

"I see the shard inside that thing, and I'm going to go get it!"

"What?" Piper thought that idea was truly insane. "Aerrow, have you seen the size of that thing? I don't think the Binding will be enough!"

"It's our only chance," said Aerrow. "Besides, I know it'll be enough because I believe in the power you wield."

Piper looked down in worry. This was a risky plan and she didn't want anything to happen to her friend, but she if Aerrow believed in her then that was all the encouragement she needed. Taking in a deep breath she said, "Okay... But promise me you'll be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Aerrow said light-heartedly.

The crystal mage brought out her crystals and pointed them to Aerrow. Concentrating hard, she cried, "Infernal Blaze!"

An orange beam shot from Piper's hands that went towards Aerrow that covered him in the same aura. The Sky Knight looked at his hands and saw them generating flames at his will. A smile crept onto his face as he thought how he would use this power.

The Ice Titan was about to head over to the remaining Storm Hawks when a fireball came up and hit its face. The intense heat made the Titan roar in pain as the flames seared its body. It looked down in rage to find who or what made the attack.

"Hey, Frosty!" Aerrow said tauntingly. "My fridge makes better ice than you!"

The Titan then narrowed its eyes in anger and took in a deep breath. Aerrow also narrowed his focus and generated more flames around his body just as the Titan unleashed another blizzard. Aerrow then used his flames to propel himself through the sky, burning away any ice from the blizzard as he headed straight for the Titan's mouth while letting out an excited cry.

The Sky Knight was now inside the Ice Titan after it closed its mouth. All the Storm Hawks on the ground looked on with stunned faces to see their friend willingly go inside the monster, and they hoped he would come out alive. The Titan roared as its body convulsed from the flames around Aerrow. Then with one swift motion, it heaved its chest as the Sky Knight burst out with the shard in his hands. The Ice Titan then cried in agony as the flames started to melt away at its body and could no longer hold together. What was left of the ice then collapsed as the Titan was destroyed.

Aerrow used his power to gently land himself on the ground where he extinguished the flames. By that time Finn, Junko, Stork and Radarr had dug themselves out of the snow pile and joined with Piper. When they saw their friend was safe with the shard in his hands, they all erupted in cheers.

"Dude, that was the coolest thing ever!" said Finn.

"That was definitely something to see to believe," said Junko.

"I still think you were insane for even thinking about it," said Stork.

Radarr came up to the boy and chirped happily, but then stepped back as Piper ran up and embraced Aerrow in a hug. The Sky Knight didn't respond in any way and had a surprised look on his face. In his mind he knew that his friend was worried about him, but he also felt like this was a good feeling.

Piper drew herself away and realised what she was doing. Letting go she shifted her eyes around nervously and said, "Uh, I'm glad you're okay."

Aerrow smiled and said, "Thanks." He then lifted up the shard for all to see. "Now we've got the next shard. Let's hope the others have better luck than us."

The Storm Hawks then headed out of the park with their mission completed. The thought of their other friends facing dangers lingered in their minds, but they knew they could handle themselves.

* * *

BlueTiger321: That sure was awesome!

Aerrow: Yes, it was!

Piper: Chalk one up for the good guys!

Finn: I hope I get to do some of that cool Binding stuff!

Piper: Yeah, like you would know how to control it!

Finn: Hey! I could!

BlueTiger321: Anyway, in the next chapter the next group will find their shard. So folks, until next time...

Aerrow, Piper and Finn: Read and review!

Stork: And I'm still cold!


	7. Chapter 6: Playtime

Chapter 6: Playtime

BlueTiger321: All right, so now it's on to the next group! And JusSonic, in response to your last review, you'll see exactly what happens between Danny and June. Enjoy!

* * *

High above the skies of Toon City, Danny and June flew towards their destination. Through the starry night and icy wind they travelled, hoping to find the shard they said they would locate. Their other friends were doing the exact same thing in their chosen settings. But the halfa and Te Xuan Ze's location was much farther so they would have to work twice as hard if they were to finish with time to spare.

As Danny looked down, he could see his girlfriend holding his hand and doing the same from the corner of his eye. To the ghost boy his girl was the best he could ever ask for, and there wasn't a single part of her he would change. It was like the heavens granted his wish in giving him his perfect girlfriend.

And yet, despite being happy over June's carefree attitude and exciting personality, Danny was still worried over her reaction to the gift he intended to give to her. After finding out in the library, he couldn't help but feel she was hiding her true feelings about it. A multitude of questions then raced through Danny's mind: Was it the wrong gift? Was she glad or upset about finding out this way? Was she expecting something better coming from her boyfriend? All this was putting strain on the poor boy, which would only lead to more anguish if it continued.

Danny then knew there was only one way to put his mind at ease. With a stern look he thought, _I've got to approach this delicately and ask June how she really felt about her gift._

Looking at his girlfriend, Danny said, "Hey, June?"

The girl's brown eyes shifted over to the boy. "Yes, Danny?" she said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Danny then cleared his throat while thinking of what he wanted to say. "Okay," he began. "It's about the gift I was going to give to you. Ever since you've found out about it, you've been acting kind of strange. Was there something wrong with it?"

June then gave her boyfriend a worried look. In her mind she knew what she wanted to say to him, but in her heart she didn't know if it was the right thing to say. Those conflicting emotions made her pause for so long that she could see Danny was beginning to look worried himself. In that instant she looked down and located something.

"Look! There's the mall!" said June.

Danny also looked down and saw a large two-story building with several parking lots situated around it. A giant glass dome was in the centre of the roof that allowed both light from the sun and moon to add a pleasant effect to everything inside. At one of the corners next to a parking lot was a large sign having the words _Hartman Mall_ written in big red letters.

The boy was then getting the idea that his girlfriend was trying to avoid the subject. This only left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but then decided he should give June the benefit of the doubt and allow her time to answer his question. "All right," he said. "Time to take care of business..."

Danny and June slowly descended from the air and headed towards the mall. They could see from their position that hundreds of other toons were exiting the mall screaming. From what they've seen earlier, they figured that Xemnas's spell had already reached this point and brought anything to life to cause havoc.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, they walked up to the entrance just as the last innocent civilian ran out of their way. A giant clock was placed over the entrance and had just struck seven o'clock. This put fear in each of them to know there was only five hours left until the spell will become unbreakable.

The boy turned to the girl, hoping to see that she wasn't deterred by the sudden rush. "Are you ready?" he said.

"I'm ready as I'll ever be," replied the girl.

They put both their hands on the door and pushed it open. Walking inside they could see the mall's interior. Both floors were lined with different shops as far as the eye could see, their signs emblazoned over their entranceways for all to see. The floor was covered with black and white tiles to make it look like a giant chessboard. A set of escalators were situated near the middle on either side of a fountain. At first glance, it seemed that all was peaceful inside the mall.

Danny looked around, expecting for something – anything – to jump out and surprise him. "It's quiet," he said.

"Yeah," agreed June. "Too quiet, if you ask me."

Just then, the two of them turned around when they heard a noise. It almost sounded like crying. There they could see in a clothing store something ruffle in a collection of T-shirts and figured that must be where the one making the sounds was hiding.

"What do you think it is?" asked June.

"I don't know," replied Danny, "but we should approach with caution."

Danny and June slowly made their way over to the store to see what was underneath the shirts. If it was anything like what they've seen today then they would be ready for it with a sneak attack. They were almost within range while the clothes continued to shake and the crying could still be heard. The boy clenched his teeth together, held up his left hand in a fist, and reached for the shirts with his right hand. With a mighty tug he revealed what was in hiding.

There, Danny and June saw a little girl named Kuki 'Numbah 3' Sanban (_Codename: Kids Next Door_) curled up and tears streaming from her eyes. The halfa and Te Xuan Ze then relaxed when they found another toon was only making the noises.

June knelt down to the girl to comfort her. "It's okay," she said. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"What happened here?" asked Danny.

Numbah 3 sniffed and looked up at the boy and girl, saying, "I... I was just in here... to look at the cute stuffed animals... when they... w-went big and started hurting people! So I r-r-ran and hid here, 'cause I was scared!"

"Don't worry," said June. "We'll make sure they won't hurt anybody else."

Numbah 3 was about to say something else when her eyes went wide with fright. She lifted her hand and pointed to behind Danny and June. "Look!" she said.

The boy and girl turned their backs to see what Kuki spotted. There standing in front of them was an army of stuffed animals grown large and come alive by Xemnas's magic. Each of them grew claws out of their paws and opened their mouths to reveal razor-sharp teeth as they let out growls.

Danny narrowed his eyes, giving him a serious look. "Bad timing!" he said. His fist was then glowing green where he punched a stuffed lion and knocked its head off, sending stuffing everywhere.

June joined in the fight. She jumped and landed a kick to a wolf's chest where her foot went right through its torso. With June's strength and Danny's ghostly powers, they dispatched with the enemies while Numbah 3 watched in horror to see so many toys get instantly destroyed. The floor was now littered with stuffing and the severed limbs of what was left of each stuffed animal.

When it was safe, Danny turned to Numbah 3 and said, "It's not safe for you here! Get out while you can!"

Kuki nodded her head and ran for the exit, leaving Danny and June to themselves.

A thought then occurred to the Te Xuan Ze. "There could be others still here in the mall!" she said. "We've got to save them!"

"That's a possibility," said Danny. "If there are people still trapped in here, we can rescue them while we look for the shard."

"But where do we expect to find it in this huge mall?"

"I don't know, but we don't have a lot of time! We're just gonna have to run through it and keep our eyes open to everything! I'll search the top floor while you look down here!"

As crazy as Danny's idea sounded, June thought it made sense. "Okay," she said. "Give a shout if you see anything."

Danny nodded and then floated off the ground to begin his search through the air. Meanwhile, June ran through the mall to search in hopes of finding the shard quickly.

The ghost boy rose to the second floor to begin his search. His eyes focused while he flew at a fast pace, trying to locate the familiar golden shine and pointed shape of the shard. But all the objects in the mall made it tedious to look around as Danny was forced to check every corner of every spot, making frustration swell up inside him. At this rate he thought it would take forever to find the shard.

June ran through the mall trying to find the shard when she heard cries for help ring through her ears in both male and female voices. This had proven her suspicions of others trapped in the mall to be true. Running at a hastened pace, she hurried over to the spot. Upon arrival, June found a group of toons all huddled against a wall as giant toys were surrounding them.

The Te Xuan Ze then cracked her knuckles as she prepared for a fight she hoped would end without delay. "Time for some good, old-fashioned brawling!" she said.

The girl did a forward flip and leapt into the air. She descended with both her feet and smashed into a windup robot, making it fall and break apart. The other toys were now aware of June's presence, so they took their attention away from the civilians and advanced on her. This made the innocent toons stare in wonder at what the girl was doing.

June looked back at the civilians and shouted, "Run!"

The command was given, and the toons ran away as soon as possible. Now June was by herself and a look of determination formed on her face.

Danny, meanwhile, continued his search on the top floor. His flight eventually made him stumble upon something his girlfriend suggested: finding trapped citizens. There near the ledge leading to a set of escalators were toons ensnared by a giant wreath. The monster constricted the ribbons dangling from the bottom around every civilian, making them try to escape but only forcing the beast's grip to become tighter. In the centre of the wreath was a large red eyeball that shifted around to look for its next victim.

The ghost boy growled, seeing the helpless civilians trapped like this. The thought of Xemnas's magic having no bounds made him sick to his stomach, but there was something he was going to do to change it. Holding up his palm, he fired beams that were aimed at the ribbons. The wreath monster let out a cry in pain when the beams burned its appendages. It was so intense that it was forced to drop the toons it captured. Seeing they were now free, the toons wasted no time in running for their lives. The monster's eye turned to stare at Danny with blinding fury for having gotten rid of its meal.

Danny was displaying the same kind of rage towards the wreath. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, you freak!" he said.

The wreath growled furiously and lashed out its ribbons at Danny who narrowly avoided the attack. Seeing the wreath now wanted revenge, Danny was now looking nervous. "I didn't mean pick on me!" he said.

The halfa was now forced to fly away while the wreath monster chased after him, its body having the ability to levitate.

June had no trouble in facing off against the army of toys. Her superior strength and agility allowed her to punch and kick through the plastic exterior of each enemy. She was even seeing it as enjoyable for her, so she decided to make things interesting by allowing them to attack her.

"Go ahead! I dare you to hit me!" she taunted.

A wrestling action figure man stepped forward and tried to get a hold of the girl, but she nimbly dodged out of the way and pulled off one of its arms. June then used it as a weapon to smack away all the remaining toys that tried to attack her. The battle ended with June standing as the victor and her foes lying at her feet in a large heap of broken plastic and metal.

Throwing down the plastic arm, June revelled in her success. "Man, they sure don't make these things like they used to..." she said jokingly.

All of a sudden, June turned around when she heard buzzing noises. Her face was set into shock when she saw that a radio-controlled monster truck had driven up behind her. It had grown gigantic and was almost as big as a real monster truck, and its black plastic with flame patterns on the side made it seem more deadly than it should be. From out of its hood, June could see that it had set up a pair of missiles that were ready to fire.

June gulped nervously at the sight of the giant toy. Knowing she would be no match for something as armed and dangerous like the truck she said, "This isn't fun anymore!"

The girl then cried out while running away but the monster truck followed after her, intending on making June its prey.

Back on the top floor, Danny still flew as fast as he could away from the wreath monster. The ghost boy looked behind for a second to see the beast hadn't given up, its eyeball staring at him with intent. That look then made Danny see the wreath's eye begin to glow. Thinking fast, he flew out of the way just as the eyeball fired a red beam that destroyed a bench.

"Oh yes, it just _has_ to shoot lasers too!" Danny said exasperatedly.

The halfa avoided more lasers from the wreath while making his way down a flight of stairs. While floating through the hall he could see in the distance June coming straight for him. His face was set in disbelief when he saw a monster truck chasing after her.

"Danny!" cried the girl.

"Hang on, June!" said the boy.

Danny didn't know exactly what to do. Both he and his girlfriend were now being chased by monsters and now they would be trapped together. Flying quickly over to the girl they met in the middle where both the wreath and the monster truck had them cornered. Now they thought they were caught with no hope of escape. The wreath's eyeball glowed once more and the monster truck was getting ready to launch its missiles.

Realising this, Danny then had an idea. He grabbed hold of June and said, "Hold still!"

In that instant, the wreath fired its laser and the monster truck launched its missiles. Danny then concentrated his powers as he and June now had blue energy bathe their bodies. The two of them had now become intangible and let both attacks pass right through them. The laser struck the monster truck and set it ablaze while the missiles hit the wreath and caused it to explode. When both monsters were destroyed, Danny released his power and made him and his girlfriend solid again.

"Phew!" said June, wiping sweat from her brow. "Talk about your close calls."

"...Glad that's over," said Danny. "Maybe now we can find the shard without any more interruptions."

No sooner did Danny say that when they noticed some sparks going off in front of them. An electronic store was now surging with power as lightning shot off inside, hitting only one particular area. The two of them watched with disbelief to see what was taking place.

All the video game consoles in the store were now coming out of their boxes and forming together. Dozens of Nintendo Wiis, Sony PlayStation 3s and Microsoft Xbox 360s melded into three separate bodies where they each took shape. Danny and June watched in absolute terror to see the game consoles had formed to create giant robots. The Wii robot was white with a blue visor and swung around a giant Wii Remote and Nunchuck like a weapon from its gigantic hands. The PlayStation 3 robot was jet black with a silver visor and the logo emblazoned on its front. The Xbox 360 robot was also black with a green visor, and on its front was the ON button glowing green.

Danny then displayed a look of complete annoyance. "I _had_ to open my big mouth," he said.

"Run!" shouted June.

The boy and girl stepped out of the way just as the Wii robot swung its remote at them and struck a trash can. Now they were both running away from the newly-formed enemies. The giant robots followed them through the mall, their feet smashing against the floor and making huge footprints.

Danny soon noticed that his girlfriend was getting exhausted from all the running, so he grabbed her by the waist and picked her up where he began to fly through the air. The robots still continued to chase them but then the Xbox 360 stopped in the middle. It brought its arms together and made the circle around the ON button glow red. When enough energy had been stored, it heaved its chest and fired a red beam shaped like a circle at its targets.

The halfa looked momentarily behind him and panicked at what was coming straight for him. "Red Ring of Death!" he shouted.

Danny and June both shouted as they flew out of the ring's trajectory and watched it destroy an assortment of chairs. Flying off course so suddenly had made them both hit the floor hard. They quickly recovered and realised they had just arrived in the mall's food court. Chairs and tables were lined around the entire area and a giant silver Christmas tree stood in the middle.

Their focus was brought back to the robots advancing on them. With nowhere else to go they would now be forced to do battle with their enemies.

"I've had enough of this!" Danny said angrily. "It's time to show these creeps what we're made of!"

The boy and girl then jumped into the air with both their fists extended. They were almost within reach when suddenly the PlayStation 3 robot raised its hand and shot a bolt of lightning at both of them. The energy then surged around both Danny and June where they cried out while writhing in agony. Lowering its hand, the robot stopped electrocuting its targets and let them fall to the floor.

The halfa and Te Xuan Ze lied motionless with smoke coming off their bodies and they groaned from being inflicted with a jolt of energy. The pain was so intense for Danny that he converted back to his regular form. June quickly recovered and gasped upon seeing her boyfriend unconscious and the robots coming towards them.

The girl moved over to the boy and shook his body in an attempt to awaken him. "Danny! Danny, get up!" she cried. But it was no use; June's efforts weren't enough to stir Danny back to consciousness.

All June could do was watch in fright as the giant robots slowly advanced on her and her boyfriend. She held Danny's body close to her own and closed her eyes, expecting for the end to come.

The robots raised their arms to attack but then paused when something struck their backs. June opened one eyelid to see the robots almost crush her when they stopped. She wondered why they didn't continue when she saw them turn around to reveal the ones responsible. There were three men each looking and dressed differently. The one facing the Xbox 360 robot was a man in a spacesuit named Commander Shepard (_Mass Effect_) with an assault rifle in his hands; the one facing the PlayStation 3 robot was a man named Kratos (_God of War_) with ghostly white skin and red tattoos covering his muscular body, a golden arm guard on his right arm and the Blades of Exile clutched in both his hands; and the one facing the Wii robot was a man named Travis Touchdown (_No More Heroes_) dressed in a red jacket, black T-shirt with blue jeans, and in his hands he held his double-bladed beam katana, the Rose Nasty.

(A/N: These are the protagonists to some of my favourite video games who are facing the robots to their respectful gaming consoles.)

"So, you like picking on kids, huh?" said Shepard. "Why don't you come after someone who's fair game?"

The man then aimed his assault rifle and fired a hail of energy bullets at the Xbox 360 robot. The shots only bounced off the robot's body and made it raise its arm where it then fired from its own assault rifle, forcing Shepard to duck and cover.

Kratos looked at the PlayStation 3 with rage in his eyes. "Foul beast!" he shouted. "I will send you to the depths of Hades!"

The man then brought out his blades and made them attach to the chains around his arms where they struck the robot's body and returned to him. The robot retaliated by firing a white beam from its visor, but Kratos blocked it using his Golden Fleece and deflected the attack back at his foe in a yellow ball of light. The attack only forced the robot back slightly where it blocked Kratos's furious assaults.

Travis looked at the Wii robot through his yellow-tinted sunglasses. He brought both red blades of his beam katana together where they set off small sparks. "I'll show you who's Number One around here!" he said.

The Wii robot brought out its giant Remote and Nunchuck where it raised the Remote and created a blue blade of energy from the tip. It then swung the blade down but Travis blocked the attack and pushed back. With a mighty grunt, the man broke through the attack and began to slash away at the robot's body but only causing minor damage.

Meanwhile, June was still trying to wake up Danny. No matter how hard she shook him he still would not regain consciousness. It was so heartbreaking for June that she put her head down and started to cry. A tear rolled down her cheek where it splashed onto Danny's face, making the boy slowly open his eyes. His first sight was his girlfriend sobbing in front of him, making him look concerned.

"June?" said Danny.

The girl recognised the voice and opened her eyes where she smiled and hugged the boy's chest. "Oh Danny!" she said. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Yeah, just barely," said the boy. "What's going on?"

June brought Danny up to show him the turn of events. There the boy saw three men fighting off the robots but still having a difficult time as their attacks only seemed to aggravate the enemies.

"There must be something we can do," said June.

Danny then thought of something. If the robots couldn't be damaged from the outside, then maybe they needed to be damaged from the inside. The boy stood on his feet and changed back into his ghost form.

"I think I know how to take them out," he said. "Wait here."

The halfa flew over to the robots while they were still distracted with fighting the three men. His body went intangible as he flew for the PlayStation 3 robot first. Passing right through the robot's body brought him into its circuitry. With a smirk, he went solid and fired off green beams in random directions.

The PlayStation 3 robot then started acting strange. Bolts of electricity started surging around it while it paused and flailed its arms uncontrollably. The three men stopped their attacks to see what was happening. When Danny was done he passed out of the PlayStation 3 robot and into the Xbox 360 robot where it began to do the same. The ghost boy then moved on to the Wii robot where it acted the same as its counterparts. Danny came out and became solid to watch the three robots move around so strangely. Their damaged circuits eventually made each of their heads explode where their massive bodies fell to the floor and made the ground shake.

The nearby tree reacted to the shaking and knocked something from within it loose. Everyone watched to see something golden and fastened into a point roll on the ground where it stopped at June's feet. Picking it up, she saw it was the shard of the star they had originally set out to find.

"We did it!" June cried victoriously. "We've got the shard!"

Danny then flew down to his girlfriend and embraced her in a hug over completing their mission. The three men watched to see the two of them were safe and realised there was nothing else to do in the mall.

Commander Shepard got the boy and girl's attention by walking up to them. "It looks like you two have everything under control," he said, "so I'll leave you to your business." He then exited the mall.

Kratos got up looking enraged and said, "I didn't need your help! Don't ever intervene again!" He too headed for the exit away from Danny and June.

Travis de-activated his weapons and said, "Normally I'd be ticked that you took away my prize, but I'll let it slide... this time." With nothing else to fight, the man walked away and out of the mall.

Danny and June were now by themselves where they were about to make their own exit. But June realised how close it was for Danny and she never explained to him what he asked from her. She figured now was the time to get it off her chest.

"Danny?" said the girl.

"Yes?" said the boy.

"I have something I want to tell you about the gift you got me."

Danny's eyes were wide with shock when he heard his girlfriend say those words. He waited patiently for what she had to say.

"It's not that I don't like the gift; in fact, I'm touched you got it for me," she said. "It's just that... you've been so wonderful to me the whole time we've gone out together that I never really expected to get anything from you. I thought that being with someone as amazing as you was all I ever wanted. You're funny, you're kind, and you're always there for me and everyone else when we need you the most... What else could I ask for when I've got the perfect boyfriend by my side?"

Danny contemplated June's words, and he felt a warm smile form on his face. All the worrying he thought about June's present was for naught and it made him feel good to hear those words. A thought then came to mind. "Then why did it take you so long to tell me?" he asked.

Exhaling her breath, June replied, "I figured that you probably went through a lot of trouble to find that gift and you were expecting me to be surprised. The truth is... I didn't know whether to tell you how I really felt and, well... I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Danny gently caressed June's cheek and brought her gaze to meet his. "Oh June," he said. "You know that you can always be honest with me. There's nothing you could _ever_ say or do that would hurt my feelings. If that's how you really feel, then I'm happy for you. And I'm glad to have found such a fantastic girl who can put up with someone like me."

June laughed a bit at the last remark. She then leaned in and placed a kiss on Danny's lips, making the boy kiss in return. They broke away, feeling the deep connection that brought them closer together.

"Thanks, Danny," said June. "Now let's get out of here."

The halfa took hold of the Te Xuan Ze's hand and they both lifted up into the air. Their bodies soon went intangible where they passed through the roof of the mall and became solid again. Flying off through the sky with their collected shard, they all hoped their other friends were just as successful as them.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Aw! Now wasn't that heart-warming?

Danny: Yes!

June: Isn't there time for more romance?

BlueTiger321: Sorry, but the chapter's over. Anyway folks, stay tuned when the next group will be facing impossible dangers. So, until next time...

Danny and June: Read and review!


	8. Chapter 7: Wrong Side of the Tracks

Chapter 7: Wrong Side of the Tracks

BlueTiger321: So now three shards of the star have been found. Next, we're going to see how the next group fares in collecting the shard in the area they've chosen. Will it be easy or will it be a nightmare? Read on and find out for yourselves!

* * *

The sky bison Appa touched down from the sky and landed on the street. When it was safe, the Avatar and his friends riding the large beast jumped off the saddle and onto the pavement. They had been travelling for what seemed like hours onboard Appa, so they all stretched their stiff joints in order to function better.

Looking around they saw that their destination was a good distance away. They were also glad to see it deserted, which meant no innocent civilians would be caught in Xemnas's interference. The long stretch of road in front of them led to a building with long fences surrounding the sides around the block. On top of the red shingled roof was a clock that had reached seven-fifteen, and sitting on top of the clock was a giant brass bell. From their standpoint they could see the sign over the doorway that said _DiMartino Train Station_.

It had been a long journey for all of them since they left the library, and fatigue was starting to settle in their bodies. But the realisation of the impending threat is what willed themselves to stay alert. For even if there was nothing that attacked them right now, there would always be something that would strike out of nowhere.

Aang paused for a brief moment to look at Appa. Thinking that it wouldn't be safe for the sky bison on the ground, he looked at him with concern. "Appa," he said, "you should go hide on top of one of the buildings. I don't want you getting attacked like last time. I'll call for you when we need you again."

The giant beast complied with the boy and rose into the air. An apartment building was right in front of him where he flew up and landed safely on the roof. Appa snorted upon landing and blew snow away from his face. The thought of being so far away from the boy who cared for him was a bit saddening but he understood that it was for his own good.

Aang looked out at the train station, feeling slightly worried about what he and his friends will have to face once they arrive there. "This is it, guys," he said. "We should be able to find the shard somewhere in there."

Katara touched the boy's shoulder to get his attention, her eyes shining brilliantly in the night. "I know how you feel," she said. "The dangers we've faced before were probably nothing compared to what we might face now. We should keep our guards up in case Xemnas's spell reveals itself in any way."

Sokka walked next to his sister with Momo resting on his shoulders. He, unlike the others, seemed positive about their situation. "I wouldn't worry too much about what we're gonna face in there," he said. "Everything we've faced in the past was even more of a challenge compared to everything up 'til now. The way I see it, our chances of making it out in one piece are pretty good."

Zuko shook his head in frustration and said, "Sokka, don't you remember what BlueTiger321 told us? He said the spell will get stronger with each passing moment. It's already been a few hours, which means that anything could happen to us!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to keep a cool head about this," Sokka explained while shrugging his shoulders. "It wouldn't kill any of you to do the same."

Katara sighed and brought her hand over her eyes in irritation. "Sokka," she said, "I wish you would take things more seriously."

"I think Sokka's got a point," said Aang.

Everyone else froze when they heard their friend make the statement. They all knew Aang to be a serious person when it came to facing the unknown, but this attitude didn't seem like him at all.

"Why the new outlook, Twinkle Toes?" asked Toph.

"Think about it for a second," said the Avatar. "We have faced the impossible before and we've always beaten the odds. That's because we've always stood together. Inside I could feel a connection between all of you, and it's always made me see the lighter side of things. For once, I think we can all be optimistic about our goal."

The others contemplated what Aang said. The knowledge of how he feels a connection between everyone made them realise that they share the same thing. That put warm smiles on their faces. Now they could finish their mission without too much worry.

Toph decided to show her enthusiasm over everyone else. "Well, we aren't going to find the shard by standing around here!" she said. "Let's head for the station!"

Everyone heeded the blind girl's direction so they happily walked with her down the street towards the station. They all hoped for a quick and easy success while they travelled, but it was soon fading out of their minds when they heard something above their heads. It sounded like heavenly music being sung by fair maidens. Looking amongst themselves, they all could see that each of them was worried about what it could be. The music was getting louder and louder while the Avatar's group stood motionless on the street, making everyone feel their fear start to take hold. Finally they decided they had to look.

Shifting their heads to the sky revealed to them the source. Snowflakes were swirling around in an unusual pattern just as three mysterious orbs of light danced between them. Everyone guessed the lights were emitting the eerie songs from the way they were behaving. The snow continued to move around the lights until they were starting to form around and change into humanoid figures.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Katara worriedly.

"Yeah, I sense that too," agreed Sokka.

It wasn't before long when the snow finally took the forms of three young women floating above the group. Their long white dresses shined like silver against the moonlight while their light blue skin looked as pure as ice. Long dark blue hair flowed freely down their backs and swayed gracefully with the wind. They gazed down at the Avatar's group with their cold blue eyes having malevolent intent. Everyone stared with fearful looks, but Toph was unaware of the danger that had just taken form.

"So what is it?" she asked.

Sokka gulped nervously and said, "Let's just say we're not being greeted by Christmas carollers!"

To everyone's surprise, the snow maidens opened their mouths to reveal a row of jagged teeth. Each of them released a high-pitched sonic wave headed straight for the group. Aang thought fast and extended his hands. A shield of air surrounded him and his friends that intercepted the sonic waves. The combined power of the attacks had dispersed the shield while almost knocking the Avatar's group to the ground. With their defence penetrated, they looked to see the snow maidens were getting ready for another assault.

Zuko let rage take hold of him. "My turn!" he said.

The firebender swept his arm to the side and released a jet of flame. Knowing the attackers were made of snow, he thought this would be an easy victory for him. Much to his chagrin, he saw the monsters open their mouths once again to release a high-pitched sound. This time, however, they were following Aang's example and used the sonic waves to create shields around themselves. The flames struck the shields and extinguished it upon contact. Everyone was now awestruck to see the attack was a failure and they didn't know how they would combat these foes. The snow maidens slowly touched down on the road and made their way to the group.

"I think they were expecting that," said Sokka.

Toph smirked. The vibrations in the ground now directed her to where the enemies were standing. "But they won't be expecting this!" she said.

The blind girl stomped her foot and raised earth that formed into a globe. The snow maidens were left stunned by it and didn't have time to react as they were now encased in Toph's trap. The young earthbender then rushed in and punched the stone sphere to make it roll down the street and away from everyone.

"Nice thinking, Toph!" said Katara.

"Save the praise for later, Sugar Queen!" said Toph. "We should get outta here before those things come after us!"

Aang looked straight ahead to their destination. "Then let's get to the train station!" he said. Soon afterward, everyone ran down the street to get to the station as quickly as possible. Momo, meanwhile, had spread out his wings and flew along with the others to get away from the threat.

The stone globe continued rolling down the street picking up speed, crushing anything that stood in its path. It eventually stopped when it hit a car parked on the street. The entire hood was flattened and the windshield was shattered while the car alarm was activated. After a while, the globe shook violently and was then burst open. It was the result of the snow maidens freeing themselves using their sonic waves. They were now seeing nothing but blinding fury for the ones responsible for trapping them. Taking to the skies, they flew after the group.

Aang and the others ran as fast as their legs would carry them to the train station. The cold air filled their lungs with every breath they took and would sometimes feel like an icicle was shoved down their throats, but they knew they had to press onward for the sakes of themselves, their friends, and the lives of Toon City and the human world. It was going normally when they noticed the familiar cries from behind them. Sokka was the only one who looked back to see the snow maidens were coming their way, and this time he knew they weren't going to play around anymore.

"Here they come!" said the teenage boy.

No sooner did Sokka shout his warning when a sonic wave struck the ground next to them, which was followed by another one and then another. Everyone looked around to see the snow maidens were almost right behind them so they quickened their pace to the train station. Each time the monsters would attack but missed due to their targets fleeing.

Aang and his friends were now feeling strain on their legs from running but they could see the train station was almost within reach. They couldn't give up, so they kept running despite the looming threats and the pain. Zuko was the first one up the steps and to the doorway. He pulled on the handle but felt it wouldn't move. Pulling again with all his might, he tried to open the door but it still would not budge.

"It's locked!" Zuko shouted distraughtly.

By that time the others had made it to the station with the snow maidens still in pursuit. With their only way of getting into the station restricted, they would have to find another way of entering.

"It figures the one place we have to get into is closed on Christmas!" Toph said in an annoyed tone.

Sokka thought for a moment and devised a solution. Reaching behind his back he pulled out his boomerang and said, "I've got it!" He then raised it high over his head and was about to smash it against the glass when he felt a hand stop him. Turning his head revealed his sister with disapproval on her face.

"Sokka!" she said. "We can't break and enter the station; it's against the law!"

The boy slapped his palm to his face over his sister's sense of morality. He said, "Has it ever occurred to you that we have a bad situation on our hands? Besides, how else are we gonna get the shard?"

Aang looked horrified at their dilemma. With the snow maidens right behind them, it would only be a matter of time until they were cornered. Sure enough, the screeching was heard and the monsters slowly floated down to greet them, their faces twisting into wicked smiles.

Everyone thought now it would be hopeless as they had no way of penetrating the sound barriers generated by their foes and they were denied access into the station. Momo was so frightened that he screeched and flew over the roof of the station. Aang soon noticed the flying lemur's cowardice and it made him form a plan. If Momo had found an easier way of getting into the station, then they would have to find a similar way.

"Everyone, grab on to me!" said the Avatar.

The others had no idea by what their friend meant but they knew to have faith in him. Aang now had his shoulders held by each of his friends just as the snow maidens opened their mouths to strike. As soon as the young Avatar was ready, he swiftly thrust his palms to the ground and released a powerful gust of wind. The force carried everyone into the air right before the maidens blasted out their sonic waves and struck the steps. Everyone but Aang shouted from unexpectedly rising off the ground and then soared over the station as the Avatar directed the air to make him and his friends fly over the roof. The snow maidens were left infuriated by their targets eluding them and would have to chase after them again.

Aang and his friends landed gently on the ground after their daring escape with Momo joining them. All were shocked by what the boy did, but it soon faded when they were out of harm's way. Looking around, they saw they were now in the station's rail yard. Dozens of train tracks lined the ground with four different diesel trains resting on separate tracks, each with an assortment of cars connected to them. The train station was right behind them, which meant the snow maidens would soon be after them. But for now, they could take light in the fact of knowing they were one step closer to completing their mission and they were safe at the moment.

Katara smiled gratefully at the boy Avatar. "Thanks, Aang!" she praised. "That was an amazing idea!"

"It was nothing," the boy said humbly.

Sokka felt discontent by his sister's reaction. "Oh, I see how it is," he said. "When I try to break into the train station to save our lives, it goes against your code of ethics! But when _Aang_ does it, it's an amazing idea!"

The waterbender turned to her brother and stared at him with an annoyed look. "Yeah, that's pretty much it," she said mockingly.

"And technically," added Aang, "this would be trespassing."

Sokka rolled his eyes at the comment. "Yeah, like that's any better," he said sardonically.

"At any rate," said Zuko, "we're in the station so now let's go looking for the shard."

"You're right," said Toph. "And we better do it fast before we get—"

The group suddenly were forced to shield their eyes with their hands when three lights were shining directly on them. It was such a surprise that they all winced from the bright flashes stinging their pupils. From behind the lights there was a male voice that said, "Hold it right there!"

Toph widened her brow and finished her sentence in an annoyed tone, saying, "—caught."

The lights were lowered to reveal three police officers: a portly one named Chief Wiggum; and two skinnier ones named Lou and Eddie (_The Simpsons_). All three of them looked at the group like they were covered with ants, not knowing the real reason why they arrived.

"What are you kids doin' here?" said Wiggum.

"Yeah, this area is off-limits," added Lou.

"So why don't you mosey on out of here before you get in real trouble?" said Eddie.

Aang got up front to address the policemen. "Look, officers," he said. "We can explain, but right now we've got to get out of here!"

"It's true," said Katara. "There's something here we need to find and we don't have a lot of time."

Chief Wiggum wasn't feeling sympathetic at all over their explanation. "Listen, kids," he said, "you're probably just havin' fun on the holidays, but you should know there's a difference between havin' fun and breakin' the law."

As the cop was giving his speech to the group, they all turned their heads skyward to see the snow maidens were right above the cop's heads. Their eyes widened with shock to see them floating just off the bodies of the police officers while the innocent men were oblivious. Chief Wiggum continued by saying, "You all seem like smart kids and you should know that what you're doing is wrong. There's no reason to throw your lives away by doin' this."

"Uh, officers?" said Sokka, hoping to get their attention.

"...Quiet, kid! We're not done teaching you a lesson!" said Eddie.

Lou then added his own words of wisdom, saying, "So if you all just kindly go on home without a fuss, then we'll let you all have a merry Christmas."

Without warning, the snow maidens unleashed their sonic waves that targeted the policemen. But Aang reacted by pulling his arms inward and swept the cops in with his airbending. The three men shouted as they were dragged along the ground before the sonic waves hit the spot before where they were standing.

Chief Wiggum and the other officers staggered a bit before they came face to face with the group, and now they were more displeased with Aang's actions. "What was that for?" said the Chief.

The Avatar pointed up to the sky, making the cops turn around to see the snow maidens floating before them with their faces forming devilish smiles.

"Uh, Chief," said Lou, his eyes wide in shock, "I think that kid just saved our lives."

Chief Wiggum wasn't intimidated by the monsters' presence, unlike his two companions. "Maybe so," he said, "but now it's time for us to do our jobs." Turning to address the Avatar's group, he said, "You kids leave this to us. We know how to handle this kind of situation." He slowly walked up to the snow maidens and gave them a stern look. "All right, ladies! You wanna cause trouble, well then you've got trouble! I'm gonna have to ask you to kindly vacate the premises right now!"

The snow maidens each exchanged weird glances, thinking this fat man was insane for talking to them like that. They turned back to him and smiled devilishly and laughed.

Chief Wiggum then shrugged his shoulders after his attempt had failed. "Well, that's all I can do," he said in defeat.

"But Chief, we're cops!" said Lou. "Why can't we just shoot them if they're so dangerous?"

"For that matter," added Eddie, "why would cops be assigned to patrol a train station?"

Chief Wiggum thought about what his partners said. After a brief moment he said, "I think it's because the author doesn't want that kind of violence in his story and he couldn't think of anyone else for these roles."

Lou nodded his head and said, "That makes sense."

The snow maidens have had enough of the policemen's ineptness, so they once again unleashed their sonic waves. But before the attacks hit, a long, slender stream of water lassoed itself around the three cops and bunched them together. The cops cried out and tried to break free but we're pulled along the ground by the water away from the oncoming attacks. Katara was the one controlling the water. She couldn't allow the policemen to keep interfering with their mission so she was forced to take action.

Chief Wiggum was now enraged by what the girl was doing. "Let go, kid!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry," she said. With that, she commanded the water whip to throw the cops behind her, making them yell as they were tossed around. Sokka was at the door of a metal shed where he opened it just before the cops crashed inside, and then he slammed the door shut.

Katara then shot the water toward the door and covered it. Concentrating hard, she converted the water into ice to keep the cops from escaping. "I promise we'll make up for this with community service," the girl said apologetically.

Now with the cops out of the way, the group could focus on the task at hand: battling the snow maidens. Aang and Zuko wasted no time by shooting flames from their fists, but the attacks only struck the shields made by the monsters from their high-pitched voices. Katara tried next by bending the snow around her into another water whip. It lashed out against the maidens but didn't cause a dent in the shields. Toph even tried her best to raise stalagmites to strike the enemies, but the maidens easily avoided the attacks from the air.

The monsters laughed wickedly by the group's feeble attempts to destroy them, and Aang and the others were getting discouraged.

"It's no use!" said Katara. "We can't do anything to them as long as they can put up those barriers!"

"How are we supposed to break a sound barrier, anyway?" said Zuko.

Sokka tried looking around for anything that could help them. That's when he spotted the giant bell at the top of the station. Due to its size, he figured it could make a loud sound if it was struck. A smirk formed on his lips as he said, "Maybe we have to fight sound with sound!"

Toph looked at the boy oddly. "It's official," she said. "Sokka's finally lost his mind."

The boy ignored the joke about him and turned to the Avatar. "Aang, I need you to get me up to the top of the station," he explained. "We're gonna give these babes a taste of their own medicine!"

Aang was unconvinced by Sokka's plan, but he was desperate at this point and anything – no matter how ridiculous it sounded – would be appreciated. "Okay," he said. "Grab on!"

Sokka clutched his hands around Aang's shoulders where they took to the skies using the Avatar's airbending. The snow maidens watched them go and took after them, not wanting their prey to escape for a third time. Everyone on the ground looked on to see their two friends make it to the top of the station where they immediately headed for the bell. The monsters had already caught up with them and opened their mouths to unleash another round of sonic waves. But Sokka knew that he wanted the maidens to follow him, and so he unsheathed his sword and held it high. The snow maidens were now ready to fire, but then Sokka swung the side of his blade against the bell and made it emit a loud ring.

The sound from the bell forced the maidens to stop what they were doing and screech with agony as it pierced through their heads like an unbearable headache. They tried to put up their shields to stop the sound from reaching their ears, but then Sokka struck the bell again to keep the ringing alive. Then, everyone could see that the sound was enough to shatter the barriers around the maidens and made them vulnerable. Unable to take the ringing anymore, the snow maidens drifted down to the ground.

Katara, Zuko and Toph then smiled to see they were now on equal grounds with their foes. In one swift motion, they each sent a blast of water, earth and fire from their hands at the snow maidens. The monsters looked on with fright and screamed as they were struck with the assaults. The combined powers of the elements destroyed the monsters' bodies, and only the orbs of light remained. Aang and Sokka then jumped back down to join the others where the Water Tribe boy swung his blade to dissipate the lights. It had taken some effort, but they were finally rid of their enemies.

"Great work, Sokka!" congratulated Katara.

"That was a good idea," said Zuko.

"I guess your head isn't full of rocks after all," said Toph.

Sokka frowned at the comment made by the blind girl, thinking it was more of an insult. He shook it off and said, "Well, now we can get back to why we're really here."

"That's right," said Aang. "Let's go find the shard so we can meet back with the others."

Suddenly, everyone stopped when they heard an ominous sound in the distance. They were then forced to turn their heads around to see another horrid sight. The only explanation they could think of was that it was Xemnas's spell working its sinister ways again. From their viewpoint, they could see the four trains in the rail yard had now come to life. Everyone watched as they moved along the rails with their horns blowing and smoke bellowing out from under their wheels. The cars connected to each train slithered along the rails, making them look like giant snakes ready to strike. Each train had a headlight that glowed and shifted around like it was an evil eye casting its gaze around to look for a victim. All the trains halted before everyone, and all but Sokka had terrified expressions on their faces.

"Great! As if we didn't have enough problems on our hands!" said Aang worriedly.

"What's the big deal?" said Sokka. "They're just trains. They can't do anything to us as long as we stay away from the tracks."

At that moment, the tracks before the trains were mysteriously lifted off the ground and then extended over to where the group was standing. Sokka now had the same scared look to see that the trains could get them no matter where they were.

"Well, that'll do it!" said Sokka.

Everyone screamed and ran to the sides just as the trains rushed to them with their horns echoing throughout the yard. The rails that connected to them swerved around to once again make everyone run for their lives. With the size of the trains too much for them to handle, they knew that no amount of bending would be enough to stop them. All they could do was try to run and think of another solution. Aang and his friends managed to regroup away from the trains and ran through the rail yard as fast as they could, but the metal behemoths soon followed after them and it wouldn't be long until they would be caught.

"How are we supposed to fight trains, anyhow?" said Zuko.

"I don't know," said Katara, "but we better find a way, or else we're done for!"

Aang knew that he didn't want to do this, but he felt there was no other way. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bison whistle where he blew into it as hard as possible. The trains still followed after everyone, their lights shining through the night like a piercing void. It looked like it was now the end for the group as they had no hope of running from the trains.

All of a sudden, they heard a loud roar from the sky and looked up with delighted faces. Appa had heard the boy's call and flew down beside the group. Aang jumped from the spot and rested on the sky bison's neck while everyone climbed up one of his massive legs and into the saddle. Appa then took off into the sky and away from the pursuing trains. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they thought they were safe.

Momo looked down on the ground and hissed while arching his back. Sokka looked down with him and his eyes went wide in horror. "Uh, guys?" he said to get everyone's attention.

The others turned over to see the trains following after them on the magical rails. It wasn't going to end until they had dealt with the issue for good.

"This is hopeless!" said Katara. "If we can't outrun them, then how do we deal with them?"

"It looks like we'll have to put our heads together on this one," said Toph.

What Toph had just said made Aang think. That one part kept echoing over and over throughout his mind. _Heads together_, he thought. In an instant, Aang smiled as he came up with the perfect plan. "I think I know how to do it!" he said. He gestured over to Katara and held the reins in front of her. "Here, take hold of Appa. Make sure that some of the trains keep following you and do exactly as I do."

Katara did as the boy requested and took hold of the reins. When that was done, the Avatar reached into the saddle and pulled out his staff. He then activated its hidden function and made the sides spread out glider wings from both tips. Aang jumped off Appa and used his airbending to glide down to the trains. At the last moment, he banked to the left and made two of the trains follow after him.

Back on Appa, Katara watched what the boy was doing and understood his plan. She whipped the reins and banked to the left as well to make the remaining trains follow after her. "Hang on!" she told the others.

Aang zigzagged through the air while the trains chased after him. He watched from the corner of his eye that Katara was following his example in the distance, and the trains eagerly chased after them as well. The boy and everyone riding the sky bison flew whichever direction they could to keep the trains hot on their tails. Aang secretly smirked to himself to see that his plan was working and it would all come to fruition at the end.

Eventually, both Aang and Appa stopped in the middle where the four trains were now coming at them from different angles. They both waited patiently as the metal behemoths came straight for them. Sokka looked around nervously and expected his friends to do something instead of waiting in one spot for the trains to get them.

"Guys...! What's wrong with you?" he shouted. "We're sitting ducks here! We need to move now!"

"Wait for it..." said Aang, narrowing his eyes in focus.

The trains rushed in, having finally caught their targets. Sokka closed his eyes and clenched his teeth while he waited for the embrace to death to come. The lights from the trains were now getting brighter as they intersected with each other while they sped closer. A blast from their horns echoed one more time, sounding much like their battle cries.

At the last second, Aang shouted, "Now!"

Both the Avatar and the sky bison rose into the air with everyone still riding, and the trains crashed into each other. The mighty machines then descended upon striking one another where they fell back into the rail yard and sent up smoke, sparks and debris as they collided with the ground.

Aang and Appa slowly landed on the ground after the trains were now in a huge pile. Sokka still kept his eyes closed and ducked low in the saddle. "We're dead, right?" he asked.

"Not this time," said Aang.

The teenage boy opened his eyes and looked out at the rail yard. All he could see was absolute carnage from the trains crashing into each other. Both the trains and their cars were turned on their sides and smoke rose out from under them as they were put out of commission. Everyone then erupted into cheers as they had narrowly escaped certain death by the hands of Xemnas's magic.

"I can't believe we just took out trains!" said Zuko.

"I couldn't even see it, and even _I_ believe it!" said Toph.

"It just goes to show you that nothing's impossible with a little teamwork," said Katara.

Momo looked out and saw something out of place. He chirped over to where he was, hoping to get the other's attention. It worked as everyone looked at the lemur to see what was bothering him.

"What is it, Momo?" asked Aang.

The flying lemur stared over to the spot, and everyone minus Toph saw an unbelievable sight. When the trains collided with each other, their front ends had become dented and smashed their headlights, resulting in them no longer working; but one was still shining despite having been smashed.

Sokka was the first one to go look at what caused it, his boomerang at the ready in case he was met with opposition. He slowly made his way over to the train and noticed something sparkling from within the light. Feeling curious, he swung his boomerang and smashed the headlight. Something then fell out and rested on the ground. Sokka went over and saw a golden object fastened into the point. He then realised this was what he and his friends were trying to find.

"It's the shard!" he exclaimed. "We did it!"

Everyone then erupted into cheers once more for having completed their mission. Sokka grabbed the shard, ran back over to Appa, and climbed back into the saddle. Aang jumped back onto the sky bison's neck and took hold of the reins.

"Appa, yip yip!" said the Avatar.

Upon hearing the command, Appa took off into the skies. Now the group could meet up with their friends without worry.

"It's a good thing we've found the shard," said Zuko. "I don't think I could take any more of this."

"Yeah," Aang agreed. "But you know, I can't help but feel that we've forgotten something."

* * *

Back in the rail yard, the cops were still trapped in the shed. They were fortunate not to get injured in the crash but they had no way of getting past the frozen door.

"Hello?" said Chief Wiggum. "Are you kids still out there?"

"We promise we won't arrest you if you let us out!" said Lou.

"Please!" Eddie begged. "It's dark in here and the Chief keeps boring us with his stories!"

Chief Wiggum felt taken back by the remark. "Just for that, now I'm gonna tell you about how my Ralphie won the prize for Greatest Special Needs Student!" he said.

Lou and Eddie groaned in frustration and tried banging against the door, but it was useless as it was held shut.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, that was definitely interesting! Anyway folks, there's no funny stuff for the chapter aftermath this time but thank you all for reading and I'm sorry if I took so long with this chapter, but it's because I was really busy with other important things and hadn't had a lot of time to work on it. So until next time, be sure to read and review!


	9. Chapter 8: Guilt Trip

Chapter 8: Guilt Trip

BlueTiger321: Hello, and welcome back! So now only one shard is left, and it's up to me to get it! As you can no doubt tell from the chapter's title, it's not gonna be a walk in the park. Well, let's see how I can accomplish it!

* * *

All was quiet on the northern part of Toon City. Xemnas's spell had been wreaking damage throughout the area, but everyone managed to evacuate to safer locations for the time being. It was like it became a ghost town within minutes. The ambience was so tranquil that even the slightest sound would be noticeable. A loud rumble resonated throughout the block and a blue blur sped through the streets.

BlueTiger321 kept his eyes on the road, wanting desperately to reach where he was supposed to be in a hurry. While driving at a hastening speed, his hazel eyes darted all around to find the next turnoff. All his focus was directed on his mission and he wanted to see it completed no matter what the cost. Seeing the next street up ahead, he turned the steering wheel to the left and made a sharp corner from the intersection. The howling from the tires reverberated throughout the area like a shrill cry.

(A/N: For the record, I'm actually a very good driver; in fact, I've never gotten into a single accident since I've began.)

The man looked through the darkness from his headlights. It was somewhat daunting from having to travel the long way from where he started, but his determination kept his morale high through the dreariness of everything that has befallen him. To him, this was something he had to do on his own and he assured himself that he was going to set things right.

While looking around for the spot, he turned his head and saw that his destination was within view. He turned his car to the right and headed into a parking lot. From there he drove up the empty lot to the closest space where he stopped the vehicle, shifted into park, and shut off the engine. Up close to the lot was a large three-story building with a red and gold exterior. Lights from above the roof shined brightly to reveal purple banners swaying in the wind that draped over the side of the building, giving it almost a regal authenticity to its visage. On the walls leading to the doors were posters of various plays and other dramatic shows open to the public, and plastered over the doors was a sign displaying in black letters the building's name: _Fipke Theatre_.

BlueTiger opened his car door, bringing out his katana and sticking it into his belt before slamming the door shut. He was now in the building where the shard of the star was supposedly hidden. As he looked on at the theatre's grandeur, he contemplated the whole reason why he was here. A feeling of contempt then washed over him over his past doing the night before, and it made him curse himself for causing this on so many innocent lives. He never meant for any of this to happen, but he still knew it was no excuse for what he did. A long breath escaped his lips while he stared at the ground, his eyes filled with grief.

The man turned his head back up and looked onward at the building. "There's no turning back after this point," he said. "I made a promise to myself and to the others that I would see this through. I can't let them down, or else it's the end for their world and mine."

BlueTiger was sure that his goal was set, so he marched off to the door. He knew that this would be especially difficult for him because he was alone. The others had broken off into groups and he figured they would complete their tasks much easier since they would be together. He told them that he would handle this by himself, but he secretly wished that they were with him right now. The feeling of self-doubt was eating away at his being, but he had to remain strong if he was going to be successful. Still, he hoped his decision wouldn't come back to haunt him.

The man reached out with his gloved hand to the brass handle of the wooden door. Surprisingly, he noticed it was unlocked and swung open with ease. After hearing the hinges creak, he stepped inside and let the door close on its own. His eyes looked around to see the entire theatre was dark except for the front hall from the light shining through the windows. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness and then searched around to find a light switch. But as soon as he found it, the lights in the theatre mysteriously turned on by themselves. It came as such a shock to him that he was left wondering at how it could be done.

Seeing clearly, BlueTiger gazed around the building. The floors were covered with red carpet while the walls were painted white. All across the building was doors that led to different theatres on each floor. Various decorations also stood out to add a welcoming feel to the scenery: paintings, potted plants, masks, and other memorabilia focused on the arts. To the man, it felt like the perfect place for anyone who enjoyed culture.

Walking around he stopped at the first set of doors he spotted. On the side was a bronze plaque with the words _Atmosia Hall_ inscribed into it. He opened the door slowly with his other hand on his katana, expecting the worst. When the door was open all the way, he peered inside and saw the room. Atmosia Hall was large with red velvet chairs lining the floor. The balcony was split into two floors with chairs set up near the ledges and in private booths. At the back of the room was the stage. Its large wooden frame was wide to allow many performers onto it, and red curtains lined the edges to reveal the set in the back.

BlueTiger walked down the aisle, looking around to find the shard in a hurry. Everything leading up to this point finally made sense to him: it was the work of Xemnas. There was no other explanation for it. If the sorcerer was behind everything here, then it would only spell disaster for the man. Now he felt more pressured to find the shard and rejoin the others.

All of a sudden, the man's suspicions were proven true. A voice echoed throughout the room and sounded full of malice. BlueTiger's breathing then increased while he tried to locate the source of the laughter, but all he could see was nothing.

"Xemnas!" the man shouted. "I know it's you who's doing this! Show yourself, you coward!"

The laughter stopped and Xemnas's voice said, _"Oh, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have more important things to take care of right now. However, I am glad you came all this way to try and stop me, and in such an elegant place no less. You really do want to make up for your blunder, don't you?"_

BlueTiger was enraged by the sorcerer's belittling words. "Shut up!" he shouted. "I know I did the right thing! I was trying to protect the two worlds from your ambitions! If I hadn't done it then someone else would've easily released you! Your manipulative ways may work on others, but you can't get through me!"

_"You, trying to protect the two worlds?"_ said Xemnas. Laughter then escaped from his lips after he thought he heard something so ludicrous. When it stopped he said, _"Oh, my dear boy, you should really think about what you're saying."_

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" BlueTiger said threateningly.

_"Well, think about it for a second: the two worlds were perfectly safe until you came to the city. Your meddling in Merlin's secrecy is what caused all this to happen. If you hadn't found the snow globe, then the two worlds would've lived peacefully without ever knowing about it."_

The man was left stunned by what the sorcerer said. In his mind he wanted to deny it, but he knew that Xemnas was telling the truth. He caused it all, and now he felt nothing but guilt and shame take hold of him.

Xemnas laughed while relishing in BlueTiger's misery. _"That's right,"_ he said. _"You singlehandedly brought despair to every innocent being in both worlds! Tell me, how does it feel to be given that kind of infamy?"_

BlueTiger only laughed to himself in response. A sadistic look formed in his eyes as he gazed at the ceiling. "You wanna know how I feel?" he asked. "I feel like now I've got a greater purpose to defeat you! As we speak, Aerrow and the others are busily getting the shards of the star, just like I'm doing here! And when I find you, you're gonna wish you were back in that snow globe, you self-absorbed lunatic!"

_"Is that so?"_ Xemnas said apathetically. _"Well then, I guess I'll have to make it worth your while. This is my way of returning the favour for releasing me!"_

The man then heard shuffling from behind the stage. He watched to see something stir within and then come outside to reveal itself. What he saw was three different costumes come to life, looking like they were from the Renaissance era. They consisted of three jackets: one red, one green, and one purple. Floating above their collars was a feathered hat and mask with the same colours, and below them was a pair of black trousers and boots. But the man's real concern was that they each had gloves with a rapier clutched around their imaginative fingers.

BlueTiger narrowed his eyes and ran up onto the stage. When he was face to face with his foes, he unsheathed his katana and smirked. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by being outnumbered; in fact, he took this as a sporting challenge. "Let's dance!" he said.

The red costume went first and thrust out its blade. BlueTiger parried with his katana and pushed his enemy away from him. He was startled to see how strong a blow the living costume delivered. If it hadn't been for his quick reflexes then he probably would've had a large gash across his body. But now it was his turn to take the offensive. He slashed down on his enemy but was taken back by the block from its rapier.

BlueTiger took a step back and tried to slash again, but the costume managed to intercept each attack with a parry. It soon turned into a sword fight where both side was evenly matched.

The fight soon changed when the green costume joined in just as the man clashed blades with the red costume. BlueTiger wasn't oblivious to it as he could hear the clacking of its boots on the stage. In one swift motion, he pushed off the red costume and blocked the blow from its green counterpart. Just like his first opponent, the green costume was able to match blow for blow against BlueTiger's attacks.

The red costume had rejoined the fight and was getting ready to attack. The man grunted while trying to strike the green costume, but soon took notice of the first enemy. After blocking the green costume's attack, he soon ducked under the red's swipe. A surprised look was frozen on his face when he noticed the blade had managed to cut off a piece of his hair. He was that close to sustaining a severe injury, which made him more serious about this battle.

Now the purple costume had entered the fight to aid its comrades. It swung its blade low horizontally, but BlueTiger managed to jump into the air to avoid the attack. In a hopeful effort, he extended his foot and planted a kick to the purple one's mask. The man saw his enemy stagger back after receiving the blow and could see its form rippling uncontrollably, like it was weakened in some way. BlueTiger looked intrigued by the display from his enemy, and then he got the notion that the masks were the source of their power. Narrowing his eyes, he now knew how to defeat them.

A furious grunt exited the man's lips while he tried to strike down his opponents. But the living costumes weren't making things easy for the human. They've managed to defend themselves from each blow he landed on them. It eventually came to the point when they were now ganging up on the man and slashed away at him. Feeling enraged, BlueTiger dodged whenever he got the chance and parried with his katana. All three blades were now pushing down against his and he forced them back with all his might.

The force was enough to push the three costumes away from him. BlueTiger breathed heavily from all the energy he spent trying to defeat them. He could see they were getting ready for another assault, so he had to think of another way to end it. That's when he closed his eyes and concentrated. He then felt his left hand starting to pulse as lightning bolts were forming around it.

The living costumes rushed in with their rapiers thrust forward. At the last second, BlueTiger opened his eyes, knelt to the floor and raised his katana with both hands. The lightning from his left hand then travelled up the hilt and onto the blade, making the lightning surge around it like a raging thundercloud. As soon as the three rapiers touched the katana, the lightning passed onto each of them and travelled to the living costumes. The electrical power pulsed around their bodies and paralyzed them.

BlueTiger rose and saw this was his chance to strike. He turned to his left and slashed the purple's mask, then continued by slashing the red's mask, and finally slashed behind him to destroy the green's mask. What was left of the masks dropped in halves to the floor, and the costumes fell down defeated after losing their power sources.

The man sighed in relief after his victory. It had been a close call for him but he managed to come out on top. Now there was still the task of finding the shard.

But then, Xemnas's laughter had returned. BlueTiger clenched his teeth, getting furious with the sorcerer's taunting. "Is this really the best you can do, Xemnas?" he said. "I thought an all-powerful sorcerer like you would at least put some more effort into trying to keep your plans from being ruined by a human."

_"Oh, I've got more in store for you,"_ said Xemnas. _"That was merely a test to see how you would fare against something truly worth fending for your life. Though I must say, I'm flattered by how you called me all-powerful, especially since I'm receiving most of it from Naminé's wishes."_

BlueTiger was now even more furious over what the sorcerer said. The thought of the girl who was innocently trying to wish for a merry Christmas while she was being used by Xemnas made him sick to his stomach. "Naminé..." he said. "You'd better leave her alone if you know what's good for you! Why did you have to get her involved in this?"

_"Well, if you must know,"_ replied the sorcerer, _"I could have picked anyone in order to attain my goals. But Naminé..."_ He then emitted laughter while thinking of how pleasurable it was of finding the girl. _"I sensed in her a deep desire that was unlike anything I've ever seen in anyone. It was with her that I knew my magic would be at its most powerful! Every time she wished for anything, it was like I would be able to hold both worlds in the palm of my hand! And once I become the supreme ruler, I will have no further use for her and so she will be cast off like the scrap she is!"_

BlueTiger shouted in anger over hearing how he talked about the girl. He slammed his katana to the floor and ended up unleashing a blue wave of energy around him that soon dissipated. After calming down, he took in a deep breath and yelled, "You're even more psychotic than I thought! But I shouldn't be surprised to find out that nobody's lives have any value to you! You're just a manipulative scumbag who toys with other's emotions to no end! I'm going to save Naminé and make her see what you're really doing with her wishes!"

Once again, laughter filled the man's ears. _"Now what makes you think you're so righteous?"_ Xemnas retorted. _"As I recall, it was you who threw away the snow globe when you knew exactly about Naminé being trapped within it."_

BlueTiger gasped upon hearing the statement. He shook his head trying to deny it, but it was all clear to him. He read everything about the snow globe, and yet he chose to do nothing to save the girl. This sudden realisation forced him to his knees where his face showed complete sorrow.

Xemnas continued by saying, _"You speak about doing the right thing, but in actuality you never do the right thing yourself. A hypocrite like you doesn't deserve any praise."_ A cruel laugh then exited his mouth that echoed throughout the room. _"And now, I shall deal with you once and for all!"_

The entire room began to rumble as Xemnas's spell was now taking hold of another object. From the way it sounded, BlueTiger figured it was incredible. But now he looked like he didn't care at all about what was coming his way. Everything the sorcerer had told him was true and he felt like forfeiting his own life to atone for his sin.

The set on the stage then burst open and the man turned his head in shock to see a giant paper Chinese dragon had come to life. Its exterior was made of brilliant paper coloured red, yellow and orange, and its eyes glowed green from Xemnas's spell working its way through its body. Raising its head, it unleashed a mighty roar and spewed flames from its mouth.

BlueTiger then laid down his arms and rested his katana on the stage. It was like he surrendered to the beast and now he would accept his punishment. The dragon looked down at the man and roared. It then grew a set of claws from its body where it placed down one over BlueTiger. The man screamed at first and then looked up at the dragon, hearing it roar again. Closing his eyes, the man contemplated on his final moment.

_Suddenly, the man looked up and saw nothing but white space all around him. The dragon wasn't even holding onto his body, which allowed him to stand up and see what happened. Had he met his fate at the hands of the beast? He figured that was the case with everything being so bleak._

_ "Is it finally over?" said BlueTiger._

_ "Not quite," said another voice._

_ The man turned around upon hearing whoever was behind him. He froze in place to see an old man dressed in a blue robe that covered his entire body. Blue shoes adorned his feet and a blue pointed hat sat neatly on his head. A long white beard flowed from his chin and rested over his chest while a white moustache was nestled under his nose. A pair of glasses also sat in front of his beady eyes, which added to his already wise appearance._

_ BlueTiger gasped upon seeing this man and knew exactly who he was. "Merlin?" he said. "What is this place?"_

_ "We are inside your mind," replied the wizard. "I entered it so that I may speak with you."_

_ The man sighed remorsefully. "There's nothing to talk about," he said. "Everything Xemnas said about me is true. I'm the one who brought this on our worlds, and now Xemnas has Naminé wrapped around his finger. I wanted so much to help the poor girl, but instead I turned my back on her. What I've done is unforgivable and I don't deserve any sympathy from anyone, especially you!"_

_ Merlin walked up to the human, his face not showing any discontent for what he heard. "You mustn't give in so easily," he said. "This is what Xemnas is expecting from you. He is trying to use it against you so he will be able to prevent you from abolishing his goals."_

_ "Well, it worked," said BlueTiger. "All this time I thought I was trying to stop Xemnas, but it turns out I'm no better than he is. What's worse is that I got others involved in my problem when I should be the one trying to set things right."_

_ A comforting hand from Merlin was then placed on the man's shoulder. Looking deep into his eyes, the wizard said, "Don't feel so downhearted. There is always a reason for everything."_

_ Turning away from the wizard, BlueTiger said, "Somehow, it doesn't feel like there's a reason for this."_

_ Merlin then defied the man's statement by saying, "Do you know why I placed the counterspell in the snow globe?"_

_ The man felt curious about the wizard's words. He decided that he had nothing to lose at this point since he would meet his end when it was over, so he turned around and listened to Merlin's explanation._

_ "I placed the spell in there because I have faith in the goodness of others," said Merlin. "I was unable to save Naminé on my own, but it is because I lacked the strength of will that can only be found in the hearts of good people._

_ "You and the others are the ones capable of doing just that. Believe it or not, but your efforts in finding the shards are giving strength to the counterspell because of the pure intentions in your hearts. Once the star has been reassembled, the spell will be at full power because it is the result of the positive energy all of you have displayed._

_ "It must be done in order to save Naminé and both worlds. Do not think that you have deserted her, because I knew one day that the snow globe would be released. It is because of this that I am grateful since now I know Naminé will have the chance to be free from Xemnas's control. I ask of you to continue your endeavours in order to keep her safe._

_ "As for the others, they are willing to do this since their world is in peril. They are your allies in this battle, so do not think that you have placed a burden on them intentionally. With your combined determination, I know that you will succeed."_

_ At that moment, all the toons BlueTiger met were joining him in his mind. After hearing Merlin's words of encouragement, the man know understood the meaning of his quest and it filled him with the strength he needed. A smile crossed over his face from this new insight, and now he was going to use it._

_ "Thank you, Merlin," said the man, "for opening my eyes to the truth."_

_ "Your welcome," replied the wizard. "Now all that is left is for you to finish your quest. Good luck, my friend!" Merlin then exited his mind in a flash, leaving BlueTiger alone once more._

The human opened his eyelids and saw he was back in the theatre, and the dragon still pinned him to the stage. Another roar exited its mouth as it leaned its head in closer. Now with his spirit reinvigorated, BlueTiger was going to complete his task. He managed to wrestle his arm out of the dragon's claw and reached for his katana where he proceeded by stabbing it into the monster's leg.

The dragon let out a howl as pain wracked its limb and it was forced to let go of its prey to tend to its wound. BlueTiger jumped to his feet and stared at the dragon, which stared back angrily for causing it harm.

"Now you'll see what I can do!" said the man.

The dragon merely roared in fury just as the human brought out his blade. He now focused all his energy into his spirit, which made a blue aura glow around his body. The dragon wasted no more time, so it unleashed its fire breath to incinerate its target. The flames were headed straight for BlueTiger, but he rolled out of the way as he continued his concentration. Seeing its attack fail, the dragon was now going to lash out with its claws.

BlueTiger had now finished his spell, so the aura around him then focused on his blade, making it glow bright blue. A furious cry came out of his mouth as he slashed in all directions on his foe. Each blow was so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye. When the man was done, the energy around his blade disappeared and he stuck the sword back in its sheath.

The dragon stood still for a moment, but then instantly fell to pieces from the numerous cuts it received. BlueTiger was now standing in front of a large pile of confetti after vanquishing the dragon. A smile formed on his face that was brimming with confidence. With the knowledge he learned from Merlin, there wouldn't be anything that would stand against him.

As the man was about to leave the stage, he saw something sparkle from within the remains of the dragon. It left him interested by the way it shined in the light, so he walked through the paper to inspect it. After digging around the obstructions, he finally found it. Clutched in his hand was a golden object fastened into a point.

"The shard," BlueTiger said in a relief. "Now it's time to end this once and for all!"

The man then ran out of the room as quickly as he could and out of the theatre. His task was now complete, and now he was going to regroup with the others. When he got to his car, he got inside, started the engine and drove away. He hoped by this time all the others were successful in finding the other shards so they could initiate the next phase of their plan.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Wow! I certainly know how to fight!

Merlin: Yes, that was quite the show you put on there.

BlueTiger321: Thanks, Merlin. It's always nice to receive praise for my work! Anyway folks, stay tuned for the next thrilling chapter where things are about to get more interesting. So, until next time...

Merlin: Read and review!


	10. Chapter 9: The Gift of Giving

Chapter 9: The Gift of Giving

BlueTiger321: So now our heroes have collected all the shards of the star. But now, will they be able to break Xemnas's spell in time? To answer that question, you'll have to read and find out for yourselves. Enjoy!

* * *

The Toon City Public Library was now a wreck after everything that had happened to it. The stone lions that once sat proudly outside were now gone, having been destroyed after coming to life. Most of the gargoyles were also gone as well after gaining life from Xemnas's magic. The building was left with many fractures and holes along its steps and walls due to the constant attacks from anything that terrorized innocent civilians. It was no longer the peaceful structure it used to be.

Everything seemed quiet around the library until the revving of engines interrupted the tranquility. From out of one area came the Storm Hawks flying on their Skimmers. They were the first ones to make it back to the spot where they all agreed on meeting. Converting their rides back to vehicle mode, they touched on the street and skidded to a halt. The Sky Knight and his squadron got off their rides, hoping to meet the others.

"Where is everyone?" wondered Junko.

"I'm sure they'll be here," replied Piper. "We just have to be patient."

A shiver travelled down Stork's spine as he imagined about what terrible fates came to the others. "They better not have met with any worse horrors than us!" he said.

Finn looked at the Merb strangely. "I don't think anything could be worse than a giant ice monster," he said, referring to their trial.

"Then you clearly haven't heard about the other dangers plaguing our world..." said Stork. "And you better hope that you don't."

Aerrow scanned the skies along with Radarr on his shoulders. To him, he knew his friends could handle themselves through thick and thin, and he was sure he would be seeing them soon. In the distance, he saw something coming straight for his group. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look and saw a boy and a girl flying together. A smile crossed his face as he recognised them to be Danny and June.

"Here they come!" said the Sky Knight.

The others turned around to see the halfa and Te Xuan Ze approaching. Their flying soon slowed as they got closer to the ground. Danny and June then descended gracefully and touched down for a soft landing. Everyone was now in high spirits upon being reunited.

"Hey, guys," said Danny. "So how was your mission?"

"It could've been worse," replied Aerrow. "How did you two fare?"

"Probably the same as you guys," said June. "But in the end, we managed to get the shard."

"Us, too," said Piper.

Their conversation was interrupted when they all heard the familiar growling of a beast. Turning their heads skyward, they all saw the sky bison Appa land a few feet away from them. The Avatar and his group jumped off the beast and walked up to the others with delighted faces.

Sokka breathed exasperatedly after what he and his friends had experienced. "You guys will not believe what we had to go through to find the shard," he said.

"Somehow," said Toph, "I don't think they're interested."

"So you guys got yours, too?" said Junko.

"Yup," said Aang. "It wasn't easy, either."

"We ended up having a few close calls, but we managed to get out unscathed," said Zuko.

Katara was about to say something about their adventure when she noticed Danny was looking much more positive than when they all separated. She wondered about how her friend was feeling before she left but she never had a chance to ask about it. "Hey, Danny," she said, "you seem a lot better than last time."

Aerrow stepped in to add his own thoughts. "Yeah," he said. "I was wondering about that myself. Is everything okay now?"

In response, Danny put his arm around June while they both gave huge smiles. "I'm fine," he said. "After what June and I went through today, I feel that we've grown a lot closer."

The Sky Knight smiled back, happy to know that his two friends were able to still be a couple. "Well, I'm glad it worked out for the best," he said. "Anyway, now we just have to wait for BlueTiger321 to show up."

No sooner did Aerrow say that when they heard the revving of an engine in the distance. They all turned around the moment it reached their ears and were forced to cover their eyes from the headlights of an approaching vehicle. They all saw the blue exterior and the model of the car, and a pleasant feeling washed over all of them to see the human they met had returned to them safe and sound.

The man parked his car and shut off the engine. Upon getting out he was pleased to see that the toons had made it back from their missions. Now he was certain that Xemnas would be defeated and Naminé would be set free.

"Good," said BlueTiger. "We've all managed to come back here. I hope you were all successful in your quests."

Aerrow, Danny, June and Sokka then pulled out the shards of the star they collected upon request for the man to see. Now it was the human's turn. He reached into his jacket and held out the shard. Everyone now watched as all five shards began to glow in a bright light. A look of astonishment was now in their eyes as they saw the pieces levitate from their hands and come together. The shards spun around like they were dancing that went faster and faster until they finally rushed into each other. The result created a light so bright that everyone but Toph had to avert his or her gaze.

As soon as they noticed the light had dimmed, they looked up to see the star had now been assembled. The golden object slowly came down to the group where BlueTiger let it rest in his hands. Everyone looked on to see they now had Merlin's counterspell ready.

"It's beautiful," said Piper, marvelling at the star.

"It seems like we're carrying the ray of hope for everyone," said June.

"It does," agreed BlueTiger. "But now that the star has been put back together, we should head over to CN Square as soon as possible. No telling what Xemnas will throw at us next."

In an instant, everyone paused when they heard laughter that was so loud it would shatter everyone's eardrums. They all looked to the sky to see red lightning flashing high above the city in a single point. From there the lightning twisted around to create what looked to be a holographic image of a man staring down at them. Everyone was left aghast by the man who was looking down on the city like it was a child's play toy.

"Who the heck is that?" asked Aang.

Aerrow looked up angrily, knowing full well who it was in the sky. "Xemnas!" he said.

All but the Storm Hawks and BlueTiger gasped upon finally viewing the sorcerer. Fear gripped their bodies as they were worried he would now crush them like insects from his size. Instead, they watched him begin to speak.

"Greetings, citizens of Toon City!" said Xemnas. "As some of you are no doubt aware of, you have been running through the streets in fear by beings you never dreamt possible. I, the great sorcerer Xemnas, address to you to give you your only hope of salvation: you must bow down to me as your supreme ruler, or else you shall suffer for the rest of your days!"

The group looked up with angered expressions. There was no way they would give in to Xemnas's demands; especially after all they went through to stop him.

"In your dreams, you whack job!" shouted Finn.

"Finn, I don't think he can hear you," Piper said in an annoyed tone.

Xemnas continued his speech by saying, "And this is a message going out to the ones who are trying to stop me!" The image of the sorcerer then placed his hands together and created a flash of white light where another image took form. Everyone then saw a group of other toons were held captive in a cage of icicles that was being guarded by angry snowmen. Each toon looked frightened by the snowmen and they cried in help for anyone to save them.

The group of friends soon gasped upon the sight of the innocent toons in the image. In their minds they thought Xemnas was truly evil for doing something so despicable.

The sorcerer got rid of the image and said, "I shall give you one hour to come to the Toon City Mega-Dome to surrender Merlin's star! If you do not, then the hostages will meet a most terrible fate! I'm sure none of you want _that_ on your conscience!" Xemnas emitted more laughter until the image of him vanished from the sky.

When the sky was back to the way it was, everyone looked at each other, hoping for a plan to come from any of them. It looked as though Xemnas had left them with an impossible situation: break the spell, or save the hostages.

"What are we gonna do?" said Stork.

Aerrow took a deep breath and gave everyone the only solution that could be done. He said, "It looks like we're gonna have to do what he says."

BlueTiger looked at his watch hastily upon hearing the idea. "We have less than two hours to break the spell," he said, "and you want to risk everything we've worked so hard to achieve by giving Xemnas the one thing we need to save our worlds?"

"Innocent people are in danger," replied Aerrow. "It's our duty to save them."

BlueTiger got into the Sky Knight's face with anxiety in his eyes. "We can't do this!" he said. "If we give in to Xemnas, everything we've done will be in vain!"

Everyone looked at the two worriedly. Seeing them fight like this was enough to cause concern, but none would dare get involved in this quarrel out of fear of jeopardizing their friendship.

"I can't let those people get hurt over this madness!" argued Aerrow. "It's why we went through all this in the first place!"

BlueTiger thought the boy was truly mad. "Don't you see?" he said. "This is exactly what Xemnas wants us to do! Handing over the star to him will prevent us from breaking his spell, and then he'll become the ruler of our worlds! Those toons will still be in danger, regardless of what he said! And what about Naminé! We still have to worry about freeing her, too!"

Aerrow held up his hands to try and calm down the human. It had worked as he saw the man had paused to let him speak. "Relax," he said coolly. "I never intended on handing over the actual star to Xemnas."

BlueTiger stared at the boy oddly after what he said. "Then what did you have in mind?"

"I have a plan. If we all work together, there might be a way we could save those people _and_ break the spell."

The fight was over and everyone else gathered behind Aerrow to show they would support him in his decision. BlueTiger was still doubtful of the idea, but he would be willing to go along with whatever these toons would do ever since he had the vision from Merlin.

"All right," said the man, "but we'd better hurry."

Aerrow gestured everyone to come close and they all huddled together while he explained his plan. It would take a great amount of luck, but they would have to try their best if they wanted to be triumphant.

* * *

The hour had now passed, and the group had arrived at the Toon City Mega-Dome. The giant building was just within view as everyone came down the street on their preferred mode of travel. The Storm Hawks parked their Skimmers while Danny and June touched down on the street, Appa landed beside them with the Avatar's group jumping off, and BlueTiger exited his car after parking it. It took a while, but they managed to come up with a plan they hoped would work.

All around a feeling of nervousness settled in their minds. The plan carried a high risk and there was no guarantee that any of them would be able to come out unharmed. Still, this was something they had to do because it was in their sense of justice to help those in need.

The group marched down the road to approach the Mega-Dome. As they got closer, they could see another building standing right next to it. Due to its appearance, they were all baffled by how it could be done. It was a castle made out of ice. Every minute detail was carved into the exterior with the walls, towers, windows and gates. It looked like the perfect place for anyone to enjoy themselves during the holiday season.

"Wow!" said Aerrow. "What do you make of that?"

"It's probably something Naminé wished for," said BlueTiger. "And that's gotta be where Xemnas is hiding."

"Man, I wish _I_ had an awesome pad like that!" Finn said jealously.

Piper smacked her hand to her forehead upon hearing her friend's childish statement. "Grow up, Finn," she scolded.

"Well, let's get this over with..." said Danny.

With that in mind, everyone resumed their march over to the castle. They could see it getting bigger and bigger with each step they took. The castle then loomed over everyone with its massive walls and towers. They now stood before the gates while trying to figure a way to enter.

"So, is there like a doorbell or something?" said Junko.

Just then, the gates opened up to everyone, allowing them access into the castle. They could hear the ice scraping against itself as the doors swung open to reveal the hallway. Once the doors were open all the way, they peered inside to see the hall leading up to a giant chamber where they imagined Xemnas would be found.

"Well," said Sokka, "at least he's welcoming us."

"C'mon, you guys," said BlueTiger. "We can't stand out here for much longer."

The group walked into the hall and heard the gates slam shut behind them. They were sure that Xemnas wasn't going to allow them to back out of the deal, so they kept going forward to meet him. Travelling down the hallway, they eventually came upon the castle's main chamber. It, like the outside, was made entirely of ice and carved in such a way to resemble a place of royalty. A row of knight's armour stood against the walls while a chandelier hung serenely from the ceiling. Off to the side they could see the toons being held captive in the cage with the muscular snowmen keeping watch over them. But the most brilliant display was at the back of the room where a huge set of steps led up to an icy throne where Naminé sat laughing and enjoying herself. Everyone in the group knew the girl was only seeing happiness due to Xemnas's magic, but soon they knew it would all change.

Naminé looked down at the group and gasped, remembering them from last time she saw them in CN Square. "So, Xemnas must have made you see that what you were doing is wrong," she said.

BlueTiger came out front, wanting to give Xemnas a piece of his mind more than anyone. "Where is Xemnas?" he said.

At that moment, a cloud of black smoke swirled in front of the man that soon disappeared as the sorcerer stepped out from within it. Everyone looked on in anger to see they finally came face to face with the man responsible for everything in Toon City.

"...So glad you could join us," said Xemnas. "Do you like what Naminé has wished for, because I think it's the perfect place for her special Christmas."

"What have you done to Naminé?" said June. "Doesn't she see all the horrible things you're doing?"

"Why, of course not, foolish girl," replied the sorcerer. "As far as she's concerned, Naminé thinks we're all merrily skating throughout the castle. After all, that's what she wants to see."

"How could you do this to her?" said Aang. "What has she ever done to you to deserve this?"

"I have no grudge against her," said Xemnas. "She was merely a pawn I needed in order to accomplish my goal." The sorcerer then extended his hand over to BlueTiger expectantly. "I feel we have wasted enough time. Give me the star, or else those innocent toons will suffer."

The toons in the cage shouted fearfully as the snowmen pounded their fists against the bars. It was to show the group Xemnas was serious in his ultimatum. BlueTiger then looked down in shame, reached into his jacket and pulled out the star. All the others watched hopelessly as the man handed over the object to the sorcerer. Xemnas clutched the star with glee and laughed maniacally, thinking he had finally won.

"You fools!" said the sorcerer. "Do you realise what you have done? You've given away your only chance of defeating me! Now the two worlds are mine to command!"

A smirk then formed on Aerrow's lips the moment the star was in the sorcerer's hands. "Actually," he said, "_you're_ the fool!"

Xemnas looked bewilderedly before BlueTiger raised his hand at the star and tightened it into a fist. The star in the sorcerer's hand then exploded in a flash of light that temporarily blinded him and caused him to stagger around in confusion.

Zuko and Aang took this opportunity to jump over the sorcerer and each shoot out a ball of fire from their palms at the snowmen. The intense heat melted the monsters and left the cage free to be opened. Aang then directed his hands to the icicles keeping the toons locked away. The Avatar's waterbending was used to break the bars and allow the toons out of the cage.

Zuko then directed another flame to the wall that created a large hole in the ice. "Run!" he shouted to the hostages.

The toons heeded the teen's advice and quickly made their way out of the castle.

As everything was happening, Naminé gasped upon seeing this group destroying her wishes, just like she saw them doing when they first met. It was so horrid for her that she couldn't bear to see it any longer and turned her head away crying.

Xemnas had recovered from the flash and looked around at what was done. He had been deceived by the group and they had freed the toons held hostage. Now his eyes were filled with rage for having been tricked. Spreading out his arms, the sorcerer brought to life all the knight's armour fashioned out of the ice. As soon as his army was complete, he shouted, "Attack!"

Everyone in the group then got their weapons ready or posed into a fighting stance. Aerrow went first by spiralling in the air just as a blue aura covered his body. A pair of wings then formed from his arms that shot forward as the Sky Knight fired his Lightning Claw. The blue pulse of energy soared towards the ice knights and struck down ten of them.

The others joined in the battle using their own special abilities and/or fighting styles: Piper and Finn blasted away with their weapons; Junko tackled each knight as he ran; Danny flew and sent a rain of ecto-blasts from his hands on the knights; June shattered every foe with a flurry of punches and kicks; Aang and Zuko burned away the knights with their firebending; Katara sliced through the enemies she faced with a sharp edge of water; Toph managed to raise earth to strike the knights despite being on ice; Sokka used his sword skills to cut down every knight that dared cross his path; and BlueTiger321 slashed away with his katana set ablaze by magic.

The only one who was defenceless in the battle was Stork, and his body shivered with fear upon being forced against a wall by three ice knights. "Um," he said, "don't you know this is the time of year where you're supposed to spread peace and joy?"

Unfortunately for the Merb, the knights had no feelings at all. They raised their icy blades high ready to strike, and Stork covered his face with his hands while he prepared for the end. As the knights brought down their blades, they stopped when they heard shrieking. They looked up and saw Radarr being carried by Momo. The furry co-pilot leapt off and landed so hard on one knight that he caused it to tip over and then knock into the second and then knock into the third. The result was each knight smashing to the floor in pieces upon being hit. Stork popped an eye open to see that he wasn't cut down and Radarr was there to give him a thumbs up.

All of Xemnas's forces were defeated, and now there was only the sorcerer left. Aerrow ran forward with his goal set. Both his daggers were stretched out while he shouted. Xemnas saw the Sky Knight coming towards him and intercepted the attack by holding up his hand. Before Aerrow could land a hit, he grunted as some unseen force was holding his body in place. The sorcerer then smirked at the boy as he sent Aerrow flying away screaming. Everyone watched as their friend went crashing into a wall where he slumped to the floor in pain.

"Aerrow!" shouted Piper.

Xemnas wasn't finished yet. A red wave soon erupted from his hands that spread out to everyone else. Their bodies then pulsed with a red aura that forced them to the floor. They tried to get up but the magic was preventing them from moving.

The sorcerer then moved across each of them, savouring at how he overpowered the group. "Piteous fools!" he said. "Did you honestly think you could defy someone as powerful as me? Now I will make you pay for your insolence!" Xemnas then walked over to the one who tried to attack him: Aerrow.

The Sky Knight could see the sorcerer coming straight for him, but he was still in pain from being slammed into the wall and his body ached if he tried to move. There was nothing he could do to defend himself, so all he could do was accept what kind of torture he would receive.

Piper looked on with fear in her eyes. Seeing Xemnas slowly walk up to Aerrow was getting her both afraid and enraged. This had caused adrenaline to flow through her body, and so she forced with all her might for her restrained arms to reach into her pouch. Every time she moved her hands, it felt like her arms were being tightened by chains. But still, she willed herself to continue until she grasped the two crystals.

Xemnas was now standing before Aerrow, his hands glowing with red energy, and the Sky Knight could only turned away and close his eyes.

Piper then held out the crystals and concentrated hard. "Titan's Might!" she shouted.

The green beam shot from the crystal mage's hands and sped towards the Sky Knight. Xemnas was getting ready to strike when the beam engulfed Aerrow's body and made him glow with green light. Aerrow felt energized by the light and stood up with a determined look. He balled his fist and punched the sorcerer in the face. The force was so intense that it sent Xemnas across the chamber where he hit the wall and caused it to fracture. Everyone was then freed from the spell after Xemnas was struck down, and so they all stood up once the energy around them was gone.

Xemnas grunted after receiving the blow and his eyes went wide with fear when he saw Aerrow rushing towards him. The Sky Knight was still powered by the Binding while he ran with his fist outstretched. The sorcerer had managed to teleport away in a cloud of smoke before Aerrow punched the wall, causing it to fracture even more. Xemnas formed a few feet behind the Sky Knight, and so he once again engaged in a fist fight with his foe. This time, Xemnas was prepared as he charged his hands with red energy.

Everyone soon watched their friend battle with the sorcerer, hearing the sounds of their fists colliding like thunder booming through the skies. Aerrow soon grabbed Xemnas by the arm and threw him to the floor, creating more fractures in the castle's interior. The Sky Knight wasn't done, and so he grunted while throwing the sorcerer to the ceiling and made him crash through the chandelier. Xemnas then grunted while he destroyed the chandelier and crashed into the ceiling. His body went limp when he fell down, but Aerrow intercepted when he jumped up and landed a kick to Xemnas's chest and sent him into the wall again. More fractures were created from the crash, but the sorcerer quickly recovered and breathed heavily after being constantly battered by the red-haired teen.

Suddenly, the entire castle began to shake. Everyone stopped what they were doing and saw all the fractures created from the fight were travelling through the walls. They watched as bits and pieces of the castle were now falling down as its structure had now become unstable. Naminé also looked and gasped while seeing her castle was about to collapse.

Xemnas took heed of this moment to teleport over to Naminé where he grabbed hold of her and they both vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

"This whole place is about to come down! We've gotta get out of here!" said BlueTiger.

Everyone nodded and ran towards the hole Zuko created. They all got outside just as the castle finally gave way and collapsed into a large pile. All that was standing there now were chunks of ice. A sigh of relief came out of everyone's mouths upon making it safely outside and after saving the hostages without having to sacrifice Merlin's star.

"Well, we did it," said Aerrow.

"Yeah," said Piper. "But it's too bad we couldn't save Naminé."

"We can worry about that later," said BlueTiger. He examined his watch to see how much time was left. "We only have half an hour until midnight! Let's head over to CN Square!"

Everyone nodded and ran back over to their vehicles. Upon reaching the spot, the Storm Hawks mounted their Skimmers while Aang and his group rode on Appa and BlueTiger entered his car. The man took this moment to look through his jacket to see the star still within his possession. He mentally thanked himself for having learned the magic while being in this city, and he also wanted to congratulate Aerrow for his plan. But now was not the time for that; he and the others still had their mission. When all were ready, they headed for CN Square, where it all began, and hopefully where it would also end.

* * *

BlueTiger321: And that's the end of another chapter!

Aerrow: Wow! Thanks for letting me beat the snot out of Xemnas!

Piper: That was probably the best part!

Xemnas: It's not over yet, fools!

BlueTiger321: Indeed, it isn't! Anyway, I hope you all stay tuned as the end is drawing near so please be sure to read and review!


	11. Chapter 10: The Last Resort

Chapter 10: The Last Resort

BlueTiger321: Okay! So now we're nearing the end of this thrilling tale! What exactly will happen: will our heroes save the two worlds from Xemnas's reign, or will they end up failing? Read and find out for yourselves!

* * *

The group sped down the street like lightning, trying so desperately to reach CN Square before it was too late. Their latest escapade had taken longer than they all thought, so now they were going to have to try twice as hard to keep the spell from spreading to the human world or else everything they've fought for will be for nothing. All they had to do was place the star at the top of the tree and then the spell would be broken. It seemed quite simple to them, but they knew the sorcerer wasn't going to hold back this time so they had to be on their guard.

All of them could see that CN Square was only a few blocks away. The giant Christmas tree in the centre stood tall and proud as a symbol of holiday joy. It would also stand as the symbol for everyone's freedom once they arrived.

Aerrow and the Storm Hawks happily cheered through the skies while riding their Skimmers, though the Sky Knight still kept his face in a serious stare as he scanned what was around him for any more trouble. "This is it, guys," he said. "Now let's put an end to this so we can enjoy our Christmas in peace!"

"Oh yeah!" said Finn. "Nothing can stop us now!"

The sharpshooter's words didn't come true as they all noticed something wrong with their Skimmers. The needles on the gauges were dropping and the engines stopped exhaling energy. All of them then became worried that now they were going to crash for some unexplainable reason.

"What's going on here?" said Junko.

"We're going down!" Piper said worriedly.

Stork turned to Finn with spite in his eyes and said, "You really have a habit for making things worse, don't you."

Aerrow could feel Radarr grabbing onto his neck in panic while he tried to get his Skimmer under control, but he knew it was useless. "Hang on!" he said.

The Storm Hawks then fell out of the sky while the others looked on with dread. Pretty soon, Danny felt like a sharp pain was forming in his body. June noticed it in the boy and put her hand over her mouth.

"Danny, what's wrong?" said the girl.

"I... can't... stay up... much longer!" said the halfa.

All of a sudden, June felt pain swarming her body as well. It wasn't long until their bodies were being covered in a red light that forced them both to descend along with the Storm Hawks.

The Avatar's group saw what was happening, and so the boy pulled on the sky bison's reins to help them. But then, Appa started grumbling as he too was being covered in the same red light and being inflicted with pain. The light spread up to the group in the saddle and made them all cry out in agony.

"What's happening?" shouted Zuko.

"I've got a pretty good idea who's behind this!" replied Katara.

Everyone riding Appa then descended from the sky with the others. BlueTiger321 looked through his car, seeing all the toons being forced down by the magic. His look of fear then changed to determination as he would have to help them. But then, he noticed that his car was acting strangely. It suddenly stopped by itself and had been shut off in the middle of the road. The man tried to start it up again but it didn't do any good.

"No!" shouted the human.

BlueTiger stopped what he was doing when he felt a pain suddenly spread throughout his body. He groaned as he could see that he too was being covered in the red light. All he could do was watch as the light forced him to exit the vehicle and walk outside towards the others.

The Storm Hawks had managed to convert their Skimmers back into vehicle mode before they descended, but now they were covered in the red light like everyone else. The energy commanded them to get off their rides and let them fall to the ground. Danny and June soon joined them with the Avatar's group following. The group struggled all they could against the unseen force but it overpowered them and forced them to their knees.

"This can't be happening!" said Sokka. "Not when we're so close!"

A cloud of black smoke then appeared before everyone, and they all saw two figures step out once it disappeared. There on the street was Xemnas and Naminé. They could see a look of anger frozen on the sorcerer's face while the girl hid behind him in fear. Xemnas then walked over to BlueTiger and stopped before him. The human looked like he was ready to spit in the sorcerer's face for what he did but could do nothing as long as the magic restrained him.

"I believe you have something I want," said Xemnas. With that, he held out his hand to the man.

BlueTiger tried to resist but all the pain he felt was too much for him to handle. Xemnas commanded him to reach into his jacket and pull out Merlin's star. The others watched with their eyes wide open in shock to see the sorcerer had finally won. As the star was brought out, it levitated in the air and flew into Xemnas's hand.

June felt tears sting her eyes after watching such a horrible thing. "It can't end like this!" she sobbed.

Naminé stepped up to the sorcerer, hoping to find out what he was doing. "Xemnas," she said, "what's going to happen to these bad people?"

A thought then came to Xemnas's mind as he remembered Naminé was still under his control and would still be able to supply him with more power. Looking at the girl calmly, he said, "Oh, I'm only going to use my magic to change their hearts. After all, you want everyone to enjoy your Christmas, right?"

The group saw what Xemnas was doing, and now they knew their only chance was to try reasoning with Naminé and get her to see that the sorcerer has been misleading her.

"Naminé!" shouted Aerrow. "We're not the ones who are evil! It's him!"

The girl heard the cry, making her look in disbelief. She knew she could see only joy, so she wondered why these people would say something like that after all they've done. Naminé looked up at Xemnas, hoping to hear his explanation.

The sorcerer knew what the group was trying to do, so he retorted, "You believe me, don't you? I've only given to you your deepest desires."

Now the group of friends saw they would have to try harder if they wanted to get through to the girl. Danny brought his head up and said, "Naminé! He's been creating an illusion to you this whole time! Everything you've wished for ends up hurting innocent people!"

Xemnas shook his head in protest by the statement. "That is absurd," he said. "Why would I do something so atrocious to this sweet girl?"

Naminé took in everything she heard, and yet she couldn't help but notice these people were sounding sincere. Now she didn't know who to believe: Xemnas or them. It was so confusing to her that she displayed a troubled look.

BlueTiger tried with all his might to sit up, and it managed to work due to his strong will. "Naminé, listen!" he plead. "Xemnas is just using you to gain power so he can take over the worlds of toons and humans! Is that what you want, to have innocent people get hurt?"

The girl paused for a moment while she contemplated everything she just heard. All these statements were so conflicting. Xemnas was doing everything for her, yet she could tell the honesty from the group. She knew that something wasn't right, and so she had to find out who was telling the truth.

"I..." said Naminé. She then shook her head in response to BlueTiger's question. "No. That's not what I want at all. I just wanted to fill everyone with joy on Christmas."

"Then you've got to fight Xemnas's control over you," said Piper.

"Break through his illusion, and then you'll see what he's really doing!" said June.

"Silence!" Xemnas shouted angrily. A red wave was released from his hands that struck the group and increased the pain in their bodies.

Naminé opened her mouth in shock when she saw the sorcerer commit such a cruel act. He promised to her that he would use his magic to get them to change their hearts, and yet all she saw was him inflicting more pain on them. Her eyes narrowed as she suddenly detested this man for what he did. She then tried doing what they suggested as she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Xemnas looked back at the girl, hoping to get her support. "Naminé, don't listen to them!" he exclaimed. "They're only trying to trick you!"

The girl ignored the plea from the sorcerer and then opened her eyes. The moment she did a gasp escaped from her lips that showed she was appalled at what she saw. Her fantasy Christmas was gone, and it was replaced with chaos and ruin. People were running away from the same things she imagined, the very things she wanted in order to create peace and joy. The very sight of it reduced her to tears. Now she understood that Aerrow and the others were the ones she could trust.

Xemnas came forward to see if he could still get her on his side. "Naminé, I can explain..." he said.

Naminé didn't want to hear it. She pushed herself away from the sorcerer and looked at him angrily. "Everything you've told me is a lie!" she said. "You've turned my dreams into a nightmare! How could you do something like this? I wish I never met you in the first place!"

Xemnas knew that his secret was out, but still he tried to get closer to the girl in hopes of gaining more power. He said, "Please, I just want to—"

"Get away!" shouted Naminé.

In that instant, a blue wave erupted from the girl's body that sent the sorcerer away from her. Xemnas grunted as he hit the street hard and lost his grip on Merlin's star. Everyone was stunned to see Naminé perform such an amazing feat when they noticed the magic around them dissipated and allowed them to stand up again. BlueTiger immediately ran over to the star and grabbed it while everyone else gathered around Naminé. The girl looked over herself and wondered how she was able to do what she did.

"I... I did that?" asked Naminé.

"You sure did," replied Aerrow.

"How is that possible?" said Aang.

"I don't know," said BlueTiger. "Some of Xemnas's magic must've fused with her body while she was making her wishes."

Everyone then heard the sorcerer groan while he stood up after the assault. His eyes were now filled with fury after losing his supply of power, but he knew it did not matter. "So, you've found me out," he said. "Well, it makes no difference. I already have all the power I need! Now I'm going to ensure my reign over your worlds!"

Xemnas then placed his hands together and focused all his magic. Red lightning bolts soon formed around his body while he emitted maniacal laughter. Soon, everyone watched his body growing bigger and bigger. They all had to turn their heads to the sky to see the sorcerer was now as tall as every building in the city. Xemnas then lifted up one of his gigantic feet and walked away from the group. Everyone soon jumped out of the way before the foot came crashing down. A giant boom rang through everyone's ears as Xemnas walked away with each step.

Everyone was now safe from the giant sorcerer, but now they still had to find a way to defeat him.

"Wow!" said Toph. "And I thought Sokka had a huge ego."

"Where's he going?" said Danny.

"He's headed for CN Square!" answered Aerrow.

"But why would he go there when we're right here?" wondered Finn.

The answer came to Aang, and his eyes went wide with fright. "He's going after the tree!" he shouted.

"If the tree is destroyed then we'll never be able to break the spell!" said BlueTiger. Glancing at his watch, he then said, "And we only have ten minutes left!"

Naminé looked on in worry, thinking this was entirely her fault. "If only there was some way we could stop him."

BlueTiger turned to face the girl. "Maybe there is," he said. "You still might have some of Xemnas's magic in you. If you concentrate all your thoughts, you could imagine something that can help save everybody."

Naminé thought about the idea. She wanted so much for a merry Christmas and all she got was disaster. But now she figured this would be her only way to set things right and return everything to the way it was before Xemnas came to her. Looking at the man with a smile, she said, "Okay! I'll do it!"

BlueTiger smiled back, knowing the girl was going to be the one to save the two worlds. "Great," he said. "In the meantime, we need to distract Xemnas while Naminé is preparing."

"I'm way ahead of you!" exclaimed Stork. The Merb proceeded by removing his X-shaped armour plate and started pressing buttons and moving a control stick within it.

Meanwhile, Xemnas stomped through the city, crushing everything beneath his feet. He felt so ecstatic to know that he now accomplished his goal and both the world of toons and the world of humans would be under his command. Then, he finally reached CN Square. The Christmas tree was staring at him like it was mocking everything he wanted to achieve. A wicked smile formed on his face as he knew it would be dealt with swiftly.

"Accursed tree!" said Xemnas. "You won't stand in my way any longer!"

The sorcerer raised his hand and was about to strike down the tree when he heard a sound from behind him. Turning his head around, he saw an airship in front of him. The flying craft had two pontoons with a landing strip situated between them on top. A hangar bay was at the end of the strip where the bridge of the ship was placed. Four exhaust ports were placed behind the ship that each exhaled blue energy, and a rudder was situated at the top. On each side of the pontoons was the Storm Hawks insignia painted blue. This was the Sky Knight squadron's fabled ship, the _Condor_.

Xemnas was surprised to see such a ship come up unexpectedly, but then laughed at how small it was compared to his size. It all changed when he saw two cannons come out of the sides of the ship and fired blue pulses at him. The shots hit Xemnas in the face and caused him to stagger away from the tree, grunting in anger.

Stork was in his Stork-Mobile near CN Square while he controlled the _Condor_ via remote. A smirk came on his face as he watched his beloved ship do so much damage.

Eventually, Xemnas was back up straight and saw something else coming his way. In the air were Aerrow and the remaining Storm Hawks piloting their Skimmers along with Danny and June flying together and the Avatar's group riding Appa. All of them shouted battle cries as they flew to save their world.

Finn started off by firing bolts from his Skimmer's retractable crossbow that exploded into blue pulses upon reaching Xemnas's body. Junko then fired a pair of missiles that were tucked away in the wings of his Skimmer that soon exploded and made the sorcerer clutch his side in pain. Aerrow grabbed one of his daggers and fired off blue pulses from the blade to aid in keeping Xemnas away from the tree as long as possible.

Next up was Danny and June. The Te Xuan Ze leapt off from her boyfriend and landed on Xemnas's shoulder where she proceeded by punching furiously at the side of his face. The sorcerer winced in pain and soon had his hand up to catch the girl but was intercepted by Danny who flew in to grab his girlfriend and fire an ecto-blast at Xemnas's eye.

The sorcerer was blinded by the attack and almost took a step back but was soon caught by Aang and his group. The Avatar formed a tornado in his hands that struck Xemnas in the face while Katara lashed at him with a water whip and Zuko sent flames at him from his fists. Sokka even managed to hurl his boomerang and strike Xemnas in between his eyes.

Xemnas was now getting fed up with the toons constantly aggravating him. Taking in a deep breath, he then shouted loudly that it created huge sound waves. The force of the sound sent everyone back screaming. It took a while for each of them but they managed to self-right themselves in the air. Stork felt the vibrations in the ground and was knocked off his ride, but he still had the _Condor_ under control.

The sorcerer took this moment to turn back to the tree. He smiled upon finally reaching it and would now be able to become ruler over the two worlds. Everyone looked on distraughtly to see they had failed and that all was lost, but then they saw something headed towards the sorcerer they knew would help.

As Xemnas brought his hand high to destroy the tree, he noticed rumbling from behind him. He turned around and was stunned to see before him was a gigantic version of Santa Claus. On one of his shoulders, he could see Naminé and BlueTiger321 looking at him, both with smirks on their faces. The human looked at his watch and saw there were only two minutes left until midnight, which meant they had to get the star on the tree as soon as possible. Luckily, the star was still in his possession, so he just had to get close while Xemnas fought with Naminé's creation.

Everyone else looked at the two giants and thought an epic battle was about to take place.

"Whoa!" said Finn. "That girl has got some imagination."

"I'll bet that Santa has got some pretty big presents to give," Junko said jokingly.

"Now we'll win for sure!" said Danny.

"Maybe," said Aerrow, "but we can still help them."

Everyone nodded at the suggestion and flew in to aid in whatever way they could. They all soon realised that they couldn't hold back any longer for the sake of everyone in both worlds.

Piper soon took out her crystals and directed them to her Sky Knight. "Lightning Strike!" she shouted.

A blue beam shot out from Piper's hands that sped towards Aerrow and covered him in the aura. The Sky Knight then leapt off his Skimmer while Radarr took over, and the boy soon flew over by himself with his new power, ready to end this battle.

Aang then stood up from Appa while he closed his eyes and concentrated. A moment later, he opened his eyes to reveal they were now glowing white along with the arrows on his arms and forehead. Everyone riding the sky bison watched their friend enter the Avatar State. Aang then floated off towards Xemnas to engage in battle.

Xemnas looked at the giant Santa Claus, thinking this would be another futile attempt from the fools trying to stop him. He balled his hand into a fist and punched his opponent in the chest. The Santa Claus only took a step back before recovering quickly from the blow. Now it was his turn to strike. Naminé concentrated hard and made Santa throw a few quick jabs at the sorcerer. Xemnas tried to block each attack but every punch felt like his bones were being hit with a sledgehammer. Eventually, Santa broke through his defence and punched him hard in the chest.

The sorcerer took a few steps back and then laughed. When Santa tried to hit him again, he grabbed his arm and locked him close, making Naminé and BlueTiger gasp upon being caught in a vice.

"You may have some of my power," said Xemnas, "but that doesn't make you superior to me! You are nothing but a pathetic weakling!"

Xemnas then brought up his hand and made it glow with red energy, and Naminé and BlueTiger could only wait with frightened expressions for the end to come. Suddenly, Xemnas lost the energy in his hand when a sound wave struck his face, making him lose his grip over Santa and nearly stumble back. The human and the girl riding Santa turned to see Danny hovering a few feet away firing his ghostly wail.

Now it was Aang's turn. The Avatar now had each of the four elements revolving around him while he flew towards the sorcerer. In one swift motion, he directed his hands out and fired each element at his chest. The attack made Xemnas cry out in pain and try to prevent his body from being damaged further by covering his chest with his arm.

The sorcerer then cried in pain again when a blue blur flew past him and hit his face. It was Aerrow, and he used his power over and over again to rapidly fly into Xemnas and strike him with ferocity. When he got close enough, the Sky Knight shot out his arms and unleashed a large amount of energy that was able to engulf Xemnas and made him shout as his body was battered by the assault.

As the battle continued, BlueTiger looked at his watch and his eyes were wide with shock. "Thirty seconds left!" he said. "Naminé, I need you to get me over to the tree, now!"

The girl nodded at the request and thought as hard as she could to make the Santa move. They were almost within range when Xemnas was shoved into the giant after being constantly assaulted. The result knocked Naminé off Santa's shoulder where she fell screaming.

"Naminé!" shouted BlueTiger.

The man acted fast by diving after the girl. When he was close enough, he grabbed her hand and concentrated. Extending his legs, a burst of white energy shot out of his feet and propelled him and the girl up to the tree. They were getting close with only ten seconds remaining. Thinking fast, BlueTiger handed the star to Naminé as they were almost at the top of the tree. Xemnas opened his eyes to see the girl he manipulated had foiled his plans as she placed Merlin's star on the tree.

Their mission was completed, and so BlueTiger and Naminé were glad to know they saved both worlds from peril. But they soon realised that now they were falling after crossing over the tree so they both screamed in terror. Everything changed in an instant as a blue blur came in to catch them both. The human and the girl looked up with delighted faces to see Aerrow smiling back at them.

The star flashed brilliantly on the tree and started to emit light that stretched across all of Toon City. Everyone watched as the light covered them, knowing full well this was the counterspell at work. This made them happy to know that their world had been saved.

Xemnas kept shouting, "No! No!" He couldn't believe that his spell was broken and his evil ambitions were coming to an end, and yet he was so close to victory. The light passed over his body and he screamed as its righteous power seared his flesh and turned his body to dust. The evil sorcerer named Xemnas was now gone forever.

The light soon became brighter as it washed over Toon City with its purity, until it ended with a flash.

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BlueTiger321: Hooray! The spell is broken!

Aerrow: Yeah! I knew we could do it!

Piper: And not a moment too soon!

Danny: So what happens now?

June: Well, the story's not over yet. There's still one more part left.

Naminé: Aw, just when it was getting good.

BlueTiger321: Sorry, but that's how it goes. Anyway folks, be sure to stay tuned for the epilogue because it's going to tie up everything nicely. So, until next time...

Everyone: Read and review!


	12. Epilogue: Merry Christmas

Epilogue: Merry Christmas

BlueTiger321: All right, so welcome back! Now that Xemnas is gone for good, I say that we bring this story to a close. I hope you all enjoy this ending!

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The flash of light ended, and everyone opened their eyes. Xemnas was nowhere to be seen as the sorcerer and his magic had been vanquished by the power of Merlin's counterspell. Strangely, the giant Santa that Naminé conjured remained and towered over everything as the symbol of the holiday for all to see. A cry of joy came from everyone's mouth to see that the evil threat that plagued their world was now nothing but a memory.

Aerrow flew down to CN Square while carrying BlueTiger321 and Naminé. The Sky Knight gently let them jump down to the pavement before landing and letting the last of his power dissipate. They had all done an incredible feat that seemed impossible to others, but they broke the boundaries for the sake of their worlds and it left them with a good feeling in their hearts. They all looked around to see that snow was falling from the sky that gently caressed their skin.

The others all flew down to join the three on the ground. The Storm Hawks converted their Skimmers back into vehicles while Stork set the _Condor_ down on the street. Danny reverted back to human form when he and June were close to the ground, and they both landed with their shoes making a clicking sound. Appa growled a bit before touching down by Katara's command while the Avatar changed back to normal and landed safely with the others. Once they were all together, they revelled in what they accomplished.

"Dude!" said Finn. "That was totally the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

"It was definitely well worth everything we've been through today," said Aang.

"I'm just glad it's finally over," said Katara.

"Now we can enjoy the holiday in peace," said Piper.

"Yeah," said Stork while shivering. "Hopefully in a place that's _warm_!"

Aerrow turned around to gaze at the digital clock in the square. His eyes were wide when he saw it was midnight. "Hey guys, look!" he said. "It's now officially Christmas Day!"

Everyone looked at the clock as well, and they all smiled upon knowing that the holiday was finally here. A warm feeling now came to each of them as they could now spend Christmas time not just as friends, but as a family as well.

"All right!" said Sokka. "So what should we do first?"

"How about we go open our presents?" Junko suggested.

"Why don't we go playing in the park?" said June.

"Or maybe we could stay at home and drink some hot chocolate," said Danny.

The sound of a clearing throat interrupted everyone's thoughts and made them turn to Naminé. With a wide smile on her face, she looked at her new friends and said, "I know what we should do."

The girl closed her eyes while she focused all her thoughts. Everyone waited patiently for what she would do, wondering if she still had some of Xemnas's magic in her. Suddenly, blue dust began to sparkle around Naminé that quickly dispersed from her and headed through the entire square. Everyone looked astonished by the girl using her power. The magic dust danced around CN Square that changed its appearance. In an instant, giant candy canes lined the inside of the square with pine needle streamers connected to each of them. Snowmen and giant nutcrackers also formed right before everyone along with various gifts all wrapped up in boxes. The most glorious display was a giant ice rink had formed before the Christmas tree to allow everyone to skate.

Everyone was awed by what Naminé created. After what they all endured on this day, they all thought this was an excellent way to celebrate.

"Wow!" said Aerrow. "This is amazing!"

Finn looked at it oddly, thinking something bad might happen. "Nothing's gonna attack us, right?" he asked.

"No," said Zuko. "I think this is for real."

Radarr was so thrilled by everything that he gave an excited chirp and ran for the ice rink. The little guy was on all fours when he was on the icy surface but then panic struck his face when he remembered that he wasn't wearing skates. A shriek escaped his mouth as he slid into a snow pile, making everyone cringe at the sight. A moment later, Radarr stuck his head out of the snow with his eyeballs rolling in their sockets before stopping. Rather than never doing it again, he happily jumped out of the snow and chirped while going back on the ice.

While the furry co-pilot enjoyed himself, Aang turned to Naminé and said, "I'm glad we were able to help you."

The girl turned to everyone and said, "Well, this is my way of thanking you all for everything you've done. I hope now I'll get to spend Christmas with you... as my new friends."

Everyone smiled with delighted hearts and nodded in response. Naminé smiled back and laughed, happy to see that she was no longer alone on the holiday season.

BlueTiger walked out to address the girl and knelt down to her level. "Well," he said, "it looks like you finally have your perfect Christmas." The man then opened his eyes when she suddenly embraced him in a hug. BlueTiger blinked in surprise at first, but then smiled and wrapped his arms around Naminé to hug her as well.

The group smiled deeply at Naminé thanking the human for all he did. It ended when the two broke apart from each other, and then Aerrow turned to Piper. The Sky Knight felt his heart beating a mile a minute while he scratched the back of his head. Now he was going to convey his true feelings for his friend.

"Hey, Piper?" said the boy.

The crystal mage turned to her Sky Knight and said, "What is it, Aerrow?"

Aerrow's green eyes shifted around while he thought of the right words. Taking in a deep breath, he boldly said, "I was wondering that since you and I are so close, I wanted to know if..."

Piper knew where this was going. She smiled and held up her hand to halt Aerrow and then pointed upward. The boy complied and saw something dangling from a streamer suspended over them.

"Is that mistletoe?" said Aerrow.

In an instant, Piper leaned up and placed a kiss on Aerrow's lips. The Sky Knight was surprised at first, but then closed his eyes, brought Piper closer to him and kissed her in return. The other couples saw they were under the mistletoe as well, so Danny and June embraced each other and kissed while Aang and Katara did the same. Junko, Finn and Stork smiled at their friends. The Wallop saw he was also under the mistletoe with his friends so he wrapped his arms around Finn and Stork and tried to kiss them, but the Merb and sharpshooter tried to break out of Junko's grasp and avoid his slobbery lips.

A few seconds later, Aerrow and Piper broke away from each other while their friends followed after them. With a smile, Piper said, "Does that answer your question?"

Aerrow smiled back at her and said, "Yes, it does."

Toph broke the moment by saying, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go enjoy Christmas!"

Everyone soon ran over to have a good time while BlueTiger stayed behind. The human watched as they all took part in Naminé's creations with great pleasure and it made him feel good about what he did for them in the time he spent in Toon City.

BlueTiger321 then addresses you, the reader, and says, "And so ends this tale. Our heroes have saved the day, and the girl finally got what she always wanted. I thank you all for reading, and I say Happy Holidays!"

**THE END

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BlueTiger321: Well folks, that's the end of my Christmas story! A big thank you goes out to all of you who read and left comments, and I wish you all the best on this holiday season! So until next time, be sure to read and review!


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